A/HRC/39/51 the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and how vulnerable groups have been identified, as well as what policies and programmes are being implemented to address their needs and support their empowerment. 36. What has been achieved to address inequalities in the framework of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals two and a half years after the conclusion of this major international policy agreement? To date, Member States have completed two cycles of voluntary national reviews in which 65 States have participated. In addition, following a call for submissions by the Special Rapporteur, several countries submitted to the mandate holder information on their efforts to reduce inequalities. 37. In 2016, the theme of the high-level political forum was ensuring that no one is left behind, and some countries chose to explicitly address the topic in their voluntary national reviews.40 Since many of the goals and targets are directly related to the achievement of equality, other countries addressed similar issues in their analysis of the implementation of different goals. 38. With regard to reducing income inequalities, States reported the introduction and use of social protection policies and social security systems, in particular support mechanisms to guarantee the minimum social standards for its most vulnerable citizens, such as social payments to guarantee subsistence income, financial assistance to families with children or mandatory minimum wages for workers. 39. The Government of the Russian Federation reported41 that equality was one of the basic principles of its legal system and was reflected in legislation regulating human rights in health, education, labour, judicial proceedings, social protection and culture. It further referred to articles 37 and 39 of its Constitution. Groups on which State policy focused were children, persons with disabilities and veterans. The Federal Law on State Social Assistance (Law No. 178-FZ of 17 July 1999) provided for social assistance for different categories of citizens in the form of social benefits, pension top-ups, subsidies and provision of vitally important goods. The government programme “Social support of citizens”, established by decree No. 296 of 15 April 2014, provided for social benefits and an increase in social services for the population. Assistance was provided to citizens whose income was below a certain subsistence level defined by the Executive. 40. The Government of Nigeria42 gave as an example of good practice the process of establishing a social protection policy in Ondo State, conducted in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). From August to October 2016, upon a request from the authorities, UNICEF conducted mapping of social net investment programmes implemented over the years in Ondo State. In November 2016, a state social protection technical working group was established, which reviewed the mapping. Based on the existing programmes and global experience in drafting social investment legislation, the Ministry developed a draft Ondo State Social Net Investment Bill. The draft was reviewed by the technical working group. In December 2017, the Ondo State House of Assembly held a public hearing on the Bill and adopted it. In February 2018, the State Governor signed the Ondo State Social Protection Law 2018. The new law set up a State Social Protection Council to promote equal opportunity, reduce inequalities of outcome and eliminate discriminatory laws, policies and practices. Various stakeholders (farmers, small business owners, artisans of various types, people living with disabilities and the leprosy community) were involved in the development of the policy and, in particular, in the development of a microcredit scheme aimed at reducing inequality. 40 41 42 Unless indicated otherwise, the information in this section is from Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development, Synthesis of Voluntary National Reviews 2016, pp. 58–62 (available at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/126002016_ VNR_Synthesis_Report.pdf) and Synthesis of Voluntary National Reviews 2017, pp. 12, 13, 19, 27-32 (available at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/ 17109Synthesis_Report_VNRs_2017.pdf). For complete voluntary national reviews, see https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/vnrs/. Submission of 6 March 2018. Submission of 12 March 2018. 13