A/HRC/34/33 obligations were. Laws were not of much use if rights-holders did not know how to gain access to them or to use them, or did not know how to seek redress in cases of violation. Echoing the proposal made by Mr. di Robilant, that there should be rights-based citizenship education from primary school onwards, Ms. Lim noted that technical cooperation programmes aimed at economic objectives, such as income generation for the poor, especially marginalized women, had a wider and more sustained impact when they included a component of awareness-raising on legal rights and obligations. 23. Ms. Lim observed that it is not just rights-holders who could benefit from education and training in a rights-based approach to policy formulation and the monitoring of their implementation. The duty-bearers – lawmakers, judges, police and officials at different levels of government – were often not fully familiar with their obligations under international human rights treaties. They were also often unaware that human rights instruments could provide a coherent and effective framework for national planning and action. It was also very important for duty-bearers to understand how to apply a human rights approach to not only policies but also budget determination. 24. After the initial presentations, the floor was opened for Member States and other participants to intervene. 25. Ecuador considered public policymaking a means to achieve social solidarity and a core element of a constitutional State. Proper diagnostics ensured that policies were based on reliable data and targeted to address important human rights concerns. At the same time, this approach also helped to ensure the sustainability of any action taken. Central to this was the generation of statistics and the establishment of baselines, and also of quantitative and qualitative human rights indicators. 26. Italy had established an interministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the State’s human rights obligations and to ensure that public decision-making was done in a participatory and inclusive manner. The speaker also emphasized the important role of parliaments in the design of laws and policies. Italy agreed that training was a key prerequisite for progress in the realization of human rights, and asked the panellists to expand on the particular demands and challenges in this area in the digital age. 27. Algeria ensured an inclusive and participatory approach to policymaking at all levels; State institutions were applying international and regional human rights standards in a systematic manner. The national human rights commission was closely engaged in national decision-making. Human rights education was being given at all school levels in Algeria, while security services received special training thereon. Algeria asked the panellists to share their views on how States could best meet their international human rights obligations while also satisfying popular demand. 28. The non-governmental organization International Movement ATD Fourth World underscored the importance of the principle of “nothing about us, without us”, and referred to a recently published manual on human rights and extreme poverty. The manual had already been used in training in Senegal and Haiti. 29. The representative of UNFPA stated that, as part of the United Nations family, UNFPA was applying a human rights-based approach to all its programming. It was important to recognize that human rights were not just a set of principles and that their realization was a goal in and of itself. 30. In response to the questions and comments raised, Mr. di Robilant noted that the key issue was how to increase institutional accountability for failure to honour human and fundamental rights obligations by which States and regional entities were bound. He referred to examples from the European context under the auspices of the Amsterdam and 7