To ensure that standing bodies promoting the participation of national minorities in social and economic life have the capacity to function effectively, training should be provided, as needed, for their members about social and economic issues and to enhance skills and knowledge in advocacy or other relevant areas. States should ensure that such bodies are allocated with sufficient resources, including to be able to conduct outreach and to ensure the recruitment, promotion and retention of persons belonging to national minorities on these bodies, and should ensure access to the relevant public authorities through regular meetings, dedicated communication channels and other appropriate means. The existence of standing bodies that provide a platform for ongoing dialogue about the social and economic participation of minorities should not be considered as a substitute for formal representation in government structures,79 nor do they exclude the possible need for ad hoc mechanisms in some situations. 13. States should endow regional and local authorities with appropriate competencies and financial resources to ensure that economic decisionmaking is closest to those most affected by it, thereby also facilitating the effective social and economic participation of national minorities. Decisions on matters related to economic development have a major societal impact and may be even more consequential for national minority groups, which often find themselves in a vulnerable position socially and economically. For this reason, such decisions should be taken as closely as possible to those most affected by them, at the level of regional or local authorities. Local and regional authorities should have the discretion to adapt to local conditions the exercise of powers delegated to them and should be consulted by central authorities in the planning and decision-making processes for all matters which concern them directly, including matters related to access to financial resources.80 The participation of national minorities in economic decision-making can be facilitated through various forms of decentralization, territorial self-governance, power-sharing arrangements, or representation in relevant local or regional decision-making bodies. Such arrangements can help to ensure that decisions 79 80 OHCHR, FMI Recommendations, third session, paragraph 39. See: CoE, European Charter of Local Self-Government, article 4, paragraphs 3–6 (1985). See also: Ljubljana Guidelines, Guideline 25. Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life 35