A/HRC/34/73 1. Universal literacy within a reasonably short time 31. In his initial report, the Independent Expert recommended that the State party should establish a reasonably short time frame for eradicating illiteracy, and he is bound to reiterate that recommendation today. 32. It is not necessary to spend large sums of money to succeed in this task, but rather to devise a campaign based on a firm government decision to completely and urgently eliminate the problem as a matter of urgency. This decision should be supported by the voluntary work of secondary school students and other Haitians wishing to help people acquire this basic life skill. 33. This would be a means not only of overcoming illiteracy but also of introducing a mechanism to build solidarity among the population, allowing its members to work towards a common goal that transcends the prevailing situation of social polarization. 34. During his visit in October, the Independent Expert was informed that, in 2010, the Government had drawn up an education plan that included the goal of eradicating illiteracy within five years. Despite the new Government’s having taken up the plan in 2011, it was never implemented. It is still possible for the Government to take up the plan and to turn it into reality. 35. During his previous visits, the Independent Expert spoke of his concerns with the Minister of Education and officials responsible for literacy. According to the information received, the Ministry of Education wished to double its budget, which represented 5 per cent of the gross domestic product and 16 per cent of the national budget. 36. The Independent Expert hopes that the new Government will prioritize the eradication of illiteracy in Haiti and devise a literacy policy to eradicate the phenomenon within a reasonably short space of time in order to provide a solid foundation for the realization of human rights in the country. He also reiterates his invitation to the international community to join these efforts and to coordinate cooperation with the Government of Haiti in this area. 2. Other aspects of economic, social and cultural rights that require special attention 37. The living conditions of most Haitians remain precarious and have not changed much from those observed in the Independent Expert’s previous reports: 60 per cent of the population earn less than US$ 1 per day, while the percentage unemployment rate, the Global Hunger Index, the malnutrition level, the number of children not attending school and the number of school-age children who do not finish their secondary education, not to mention the shortage and poor quality of housing and the inadequate access to basic health care, are very high.9 In 2014, the human development index in Haiti was 0.483 (ranked 163rd out of 188 countries and territories), 10 its inequality-adjusted human development index 0.296,11 its gender inequality index 0.603 (138th place) and its Gini coefficient 59.2. 12 38. The Independent Expert reiterates the call that he made in his previous reports that the new Government should ensure that its development plan was aimed at overcoming the deep social inequality existing in Haiti and should, to that end, take steps to significantly improve income levels for workers, health and education for the poorest of the poor, reproductive health for women, and women’s empowerment and representation in Parliament, among other issues, and, generally, ensure decent living conditions for all. 9 10 11 12 8 See A/HRC/31/77, para. 27. See www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/HDR/HDR%202015/ HumanDevelopmentReport_EN.pdf (table 1, p. 210, and table 2, p. 214). See http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/HTI. See http://hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/67106. GE.17-03747