A/HRC/55/70 21. States should ensure that minority groups have equal access to quality education, in compliance with international standards on the right to education for those groups, with a view to achieving equal educational outcomes.1 22. States should adopt and implement national legislation and policies that extend the protection of labour laws and social security to include persons belonging to minority groups working in informal economies. 23. States should ensure the establishment of free, accessible and effective complaint mechanisms to address the employment discrimination experienced by minority groups. 24. States should involve and consult representatives of minority communities in the elaboration of economic policies in order to build trust and empower those communities. 25. States should recognize the economic inclusion of minority groups as essential for societal stability and harmony and work towards providing those groups with equal access to education, employment and business opportunities. 26. States should develop inclusive policies to address root causes such as poverty, inequality and discrimination in order to contribute to peace. 27. States should acknowledge the positive contribution of minority groups to societal development and promote social cohesion by recognizing and valuing diversity. 28. States and non-State actors should uphold the principle of equality, including by promoting differentiated treatment to ensure effective protection for persons belonging to minority groups in accordance with their unique situations. 29. States should recognize and address discrimination against minority groups in the socioeconomic sphere and understand the intersection between minority issues and broader human rights concerns. 30. States should acknowledge and commit to advancing the rights of persons belonging to minority groups while recognizing the connection between the economic inclusion of those groups and overall sustainable development. V. Recommendations for achieving socioeconomic empowerment 31. States should support and promote grass-roots initiatives, such as pro bono and legal aid networks, that address discrimination at the community level and establish effective monitoring bodies to track progress and challenges in combating discrimination. 32. States should promote participatory budgeting initiatives that ensure the engagement of minority groups in budgetary decision-making processes. 33. States should assess whether minority groups are benefiting from policies and projects designed to support their socioeconomic empowerment and, if they are, the extent to which they are benefiting. 34. States should invest in programmes that build employable skills for minority groups, such as targeted scholarships, training programmes, internships and fellowships in higher education. 35. States should prioritize minority languages in education and workplace settings to foster social cohesion and promote the protection of the languages of minority groups as a factor in economic development. 36. States should apply an intersectional approach when designing policies for the socioeconomic empowerment of minority groups and recognize the multiple forms of 1See GE.24-00955 A/HRC/FMI/2008/2 and A/HRC/16/46. 5