A/HRC/13/23 enabling the implementation of such constitutional principles are necessary. The implementation of the latter must, in turn, be monitored and minority participation in their articulation, implementation and monitoring must be secured. 60. Linking political participation exclusively with ethnic identity by requiring that candidates standing for election be members of certain ethnic groups and that voters belonging to certain ethnic groups be allowed to vote only for candidates from their respective groups can be detrimental to the effective political participation of minorities. As previously noted, language proficiency requirements imposed on candidates can also negatively impact the effective participation of persons belonging to minorities and in certain cases have been deemed illegal by human rights bodies and courts. 61. The collection of data disaggregated by ethnicity, age, gender, geographical distribution and other relevant categories is an important precondition for the development of adequate and efficient models of participation of persons belonging to minorities. Such data make it possible to monitor the participation of minorities and ascertain whether fair and representative participation mechanisms have been put in place. The collection of disaggregated data must take place in accordance with international standards on personal data protection, as well as respecting the right of persons belonging to minorities to choose freely to be treated or not as minorities. Representatives of minorities should be involved in the process of data collection, and the data collection methods should be designed in close cooperation with them. 62. Accurate voters’ registers are another important precondition for enabling the effective political participation of minorities. Voter registration must be implemented in a non-discriminatory way, taking into account the special needs of minorities as they may arise in the areas of language, cultural appropriateness and accessibility of registration processes. 63. Recognition of minorities is essential to secure the rights of minority groups in a State, including the right to effective participation. Since non-recognition hinders the enjoyment of internationally established rights, it ultimately leads to the marginalization of minorities and their exclusion from political processes. Recognition based on selfidentification is the first step in the process of securing minority rights and safeguarding the position of members of minorities as equal members of the society. 64. Although article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees the exercise of the right to public participation to citizens, it has come to be widely recognized that citizenship requirements can hamper effective participation in certain fields of public affairs. While it remains accepted for States to impose certain restrictions on non-citizens concerning the right to vote and to be elected, such restrictions should not be applied more widely than necessary. Denial of citizenship has been used by States to exclude minorities from the enjoyment of their rights. States should consider allowing non-citizens belonging to minorities to vote, stand as candidates in local elections and be members of the governing boards of self-governing bodies, while making sure that access to citizenship is regulated in a non-discriminatory manner.31 Positive examples of this kind exist in a number of States. E. Existing forms and mechanisms for effective political participation 65. While no single, one-size-fits-all solution exists to ensure proper implementation of the right to effective participation, a number of features of participation models and 31 16 Advisory Committee, paras. 100 and 101. GE.10-10198