State policies should respect and, where relevant, support the preservation, enhancement and transmission to future generations of communities’ cultural and religious heritage in all its forms. This may include cultural and religious practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills, objects and artefacts, and buildings and the spaces associated with them. To this end, it is essential that minority representatives are effectively involved in all stages of elaborating, implementing and monitoring relevant policies and legislation. Integration of society requires that persons belonging to minorities are effectively granted the right to preserve and develop their own cultural heritage and identity, as well as the right to take part and interact in the cultural life of the wider society, in a spirit of tolerance and intercultural dialogue.99 It is essential that the fundamental right of persons belonging to minorities to decide their own cultural issues does not result in their isolation. In this regard, permanent and ongoing intercultural dialogue among and between all minority groups and between minorities and majorities should be fostered, including through raising all residents’ awareness of and exposure to all other cultures in their society. Cultural policies should not be confined to preserving and promoting traditional cultures, but also aim to simultaneously foster a plurality of cultural and artistic expressions, promote equal access to contemporary culture in all its forms and encourage interaction and intercultural exchange. At the same time, while the right to participate in and develop one’s own culture can be facilitated and supported by the State, culture itself is independent of the State. States should not establish an official “State culture” that encompasses and defines the contents of culture. Rather, cultural policy should observe the principles of pluralism, participation, democratization and decentralization. Processes of decentralization, including non-territorial self-governance (cultural-autonomy) arrangements, can play an important role in creating the conditions necessary for persons belonging to minorities to participate effectively in cultural life.100 99 UN Declaration on Minorities, article 2(1); FCNM, articles 5, 6 and 15; and the Declaration on Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention, adopted by the Conference of the European Ministers of Culture on 22 October 2003. 100 Commentary on Participation, paragraph 67. 50 Guidelines on Integration of Diverse Societies