A/HRC/20/4 the right of individuals and communities to know, understand, enter, visit, make use of, maintain, exchange and develop cultural heritage, as well as to benefit from the cultural heritage and the creation of others. She stressed that cultural heritage is important not only in itself, but also in relation to its human dimension, in particular its significance for individuals and communities and their identity and development processes. The Independent Expert concludes her report with recommendations aimed at promoting a human rights-based approach to cultural heritage matters and addressed to States, professionals working in the field of cultural heritage and cultural institutions, researchers and tourism and entertainment industries. During the reporting period, the Independent Expert conducted field missions to Austria and Morocco. 46. The Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights continued her work on examining the effects of the global economic and financial crises on the human rights of people living in poverty. Her 2011 thematic report to the Human Rights Council examined austerity measures and detailed a human rights-based approach to recovery from the global financial and economic crises, with focus on those living in poverty. Her report to the General Assembly drew attention to the growing phenomena of the penalization and criminalization of people living in poverty (A/66/265). It urged States, inter alia, to take all necessary measures to eliminate all direct and indirect discrimination against persons living in poverty, to take special measures to protect those living in poverty from the violation of their rights by third parties and to ensure that the design and implementation of social benefit systems comply with human rights norms. In 2011, the Special Rapporteur conducted missions to Timor-Leste and Paraguay. 47. The Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health submitted a thematic study to the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council, focusing on the right to health of older persons (A/HRC/18/37). Presenting his study at the Council’s panel discussion, the Special Rapporteur stressed that the rights of older persons are often considered to be a marginal area in human rights and that the rapidly ageing world presents significant challenges for the global community, including for the full enjoyment of the right to health. He called on States to empower older persons to exercise their rights, in particular the right to health, and to apply a right-to-health approach to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health-related policies and programmes in order to mitigate the negative consequences of an ageing society and ensure the enjoyment of this human right by older persons. 48. In October 2011, the Special Rapporteur submitted a report to the sixty–sixth session of the General Assembly on the impact of criminal laws and other legal restrictions relating to sexual and reproductive health on the realization of the right to health, particularly of women and girls (A/66/254). With a view to providing guidance on how to implement existing human rights obligations through effective policies and programmes, the Special Rapporteur suggested that the laws and policies on sexual and reproductive health should be legitimate subjects of human rights scrutiny. He further noted that the realization of the right to health requires the removal of barriers that interfere with individual decision-making on health-related issues and with access to health services, education and information. 49. The Special Rapporteur on the right to food presented a report to the Human Rights Council in March 2011 on agroecology and the right to food (A/HRC/16/49). The report explores how low-carbon, resource-preserving types of agriculture can benefit the poorest farmers and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. In October 2011, the Special Rapporteur presented a report to the General Assembly exploring how more equitable value chains and business models inclusive of small-scale farmers can support the realization of the right to food. The Special Rapporteur also actively sought to integrate the 13