A/HRC/34/58 hiding persons with disabilities at home, and even attacks against them, such as in the case of persons with albinism. Consequently, many persons with disabilities fail to receive the necessary support and instead survive in dire conditions. 5. Sustainability 67. The sustainability of support services and arrangements represents a major challenge in both developing and developed countries. Whereas in most low-income countries support is funded and provided mainly by families, charities and international non-governmental organizations, many high- and middle-income countries are reducing their direct public investment in support and are turning to non-profit organizations and community networks to take charge of these services. States usually invoke the scarcity of resources and economic difficulties to justify their failure to provide support services and arrangements to persons with disabilities. 68. States have an obligation to mobilize resources to their maximum availability to ensure access to support for persons with disabilities. Earmarked funds aimed at covering support, close collaboration and engagement with civil society and increasing efficiency can contribute to greater sustainability of support systems. Participatory budgeting processes, when they are inclusive of persons with disabilities, can also help to expand the allocation of public funds to support persons with disabilities. Social protection systems can also constitute a powerful strategy to facilitate access to support for persons with disabilities (see A/70/297, paras. 4-9). 69. States must refrain from adopting retrogressive measures that affect their obligation to ensure access to support for persons with disabilities. In times of crisis, more support is needed, rather than cuts (ibid., para. 85). Reduction and caps on direct payments, personal budgets and other benefits; stricter eligibility criteria; the elimination or reduction of subsidies and tax credits; and reduced expenditures on community support services, such as in-home services and personal assistance, affect the right to live independently and be included in the community and to an adequate standard of living. States should ensure sufficient resources for individual funds to enable persons with disabilities to access appropriate support. 6. International cooperation 70. International cooperation can play a crucial role in the implementation of support systems. Donor countries and international organizations should consider increasing funding for the design and development of sustainable national support systems and securing the necessary funds to implement development aid inclusive of the support arrangements required by persons with disabilities. For example, when funding national education systems, donors should take into account the obligation to provide support to children and adolescents with disabilities within the general education system to facilitate their effective education. 71. International cooperation must be consistent with the human rights of persons with disabilities and provided in a sustainable and culturally appropriate manner. To this end, international assistance should not support practices contrary to the human rights-based approach to disability. International organizations, non-profit organizations, charities and other organizations operating in national contexts should refrain from implementing projects that are not sustainable or that violate the rights of persons with disabilities, such as “care homes” and special schools. 72. The United Nations, including all its programmes, funds and specialized agencies, should increase the awareness and expertise of its staff on the implementation of support 17