A/67/293 forms of government often allow minorities a stronger role in institutions and decision-making bodies. In appropriate circumstances, States have devolved power, and created autonomous or other sub-State divisions or federal systems that may enable minorities to have a more significant and direct impact on matters affecting them. The concept of “subsidiarity” promotes decision-making at the lowest level of government consistent with the goals to be attained and is highlighted as valuable in the context of minority rights, including in recommendations of the Forum on Minority Issues on minorities and effective political participation. 67. Forms of non-territorial or cultural autonomy can also serve to preserve elements of minority history, language and culture and may foster dialogue; they may involve establishing institutional arrangements such as local or minority selfgovernments. Local self-governments fulfil responsibilities in particular in the field of minority education and cultural self-administration, media, the fostering of traditions and cultural heritage, and social inclusion. 68. The Act on the Rights of Nationalities of Hungary of 2011 28 includes the right to establish “nationality self-governments” for recognized minorities, based on a system originally established in 1993. Self-governments provide an institutional framework for cultural autonomy, there being hundreds of self-governments at the local level with elected minority representatives. Similarly, Estonia indicated to the Independent Expert that ethnic minorities have the right to establish institutions of self-government in accordance with the National Minorities Cultural Autonomy Act, and that a Council of Ethnic Minorities exists within the framework of the Ministry of Culture. C. Advisory and representative bodies 69. The commentary of the Working Group on Minorities of the former Commission on Human Rights to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (E/CN.4/Sub.2/AC.5/2005/2) notes that “States should establish advisory or consultative bodies involving minorities within appropriate institutional frameworks. They should be attributed political weight and effectively consulted on issues affecting the minority population”. 29 Advisory and consultative bodies can be permanent or ad hoc. They help to institutionalize dialogue between government and minority representatives and to ensure that minority issues are reflected in local and ideally national policy- and decision-making processes. Appropriate advisory and consultative bodies should therefore exist at the national level and at regional and local levels, where challenges affecting minorities frequently manifested themselves. 70. The Government of Latvia noted the existence of three national-level consultative bodies: the Consultative Council on Minorities, under the President; the National Minority Non-Governmental Organization Committee, under the Ministry of Culture; and the National Minority Education Consultative Council, under the Ministry of Education and Science. At the local government level, society integration commissions have broad minority participation. The Government of __________________ 28 29 12-45950 See the Act on the Rights of Nationalities of Hungary, paras. 113-115. Available from http://www.venice.coe.int/docs/2012/CDL-REF(2012)014-e.pdf. Available from http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G05/133/85/PDF/ G0513385.pdf?OpenElement. 21