A/HRC/45/15/Add.1 B. Persons living in poverty, and other vulnerable parts of the population 60. On a positive note, social protection has a very strong legal foundation in Switzerland. The Constitution establishes the basis for strong social security, fair working conditions, support and protection for families and children, suitable accommodation on reasonable terms, and rights to education, assistance and care. The social protection institutions are well developed and functional. 61. Nevertheless, according to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2018 about 7.9 per cent of the population lived under the poverty rate, and 13.9 per cent were at risk of poverty. 31 Many of those affected by poverty are single parents, families with three or more children and people with little education or training. The high cost of health insurance and housing contribute to their dire situation. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur was informed that over the past 15 years, unemployment benefits have been reduced. 62. The Special Rapporteur was informed that following a number of parliamentary requests and a conference on poverty, the federal Government launched the National Programme for the Prevention and Eradication of Poverty, to be implemented jointly with cantons, cities, municipalities and private-sector organizations between 2013 and 2018. Under the programme, innovative approaches to fighting poverty were tested, studies and practical instruments were made available and actors in the field were encouraged to exchange their views and experiences. The Government committed SwF 9 million in funding over five years. In April 2018 the Federal Council decided to continue its commitment to poverty prevention until 2024 through a national platform against poverty, but reduced the funding to SwF 500,000 per year. Some organizations expressed concern that there were still no binding targets for eradicating poverty. 63. The Special Rapporteur was also informed that the low-tax policy in numerous cantons resulted in lower tax revenues and in cost-cutting measures, which placed more and more pressure on social assistance. Organizations working with the poor raised concerns that in recent years material support had been reduced, that young adults and families in particular received less money to meet their everyday needs, frequently leaving them unable to participate in society at even a minimal level. Social assistance comes under the responsibility of the cantons and its implementation is generally delegated to the municipalities. Accordingly, the rules on social assistance vary from canton to canton and people affected by poverty receive different levels of support depending on where they live. Health-insurance premiums are reported to have taken a larger and larger share of household budgets: premiums have more than doubled over the past 20 years and families just above the poverty line find themselves in an increasingly difficult situation. C. Persons with disabilities 64. Switzerland became a party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities relatively recently – in 2014. Switzerland has not ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention, thus precluding the possibility of individuals sending petitions concerning alleged violations of the Convention to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 65. At the institutional level, the main federal body responsible for ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities is the Federal Office for the Equality of Persons with Disabilities, which was founded in 2004, upon the entry into force of the Federal Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against People with Disabilities, also known as the Disability Discrimination Act. The Office’s mandate is to promote equality for persons with disabilities and to take action to eliminate discrimination against them. It is a service of the Federal Department of Home Affairs and is attached to the General Secretariat. 31 See www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/economic-social-situation-population/economic-andsocial-situation-of-the-population/poverty-and-material-deprivation.html. 13