A/HRC/34/33 36. In South Africa, UNDP was leading coordinated United Nations support to establish a legal and policy framework compliant with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The aim was to implement the provisions of the Convention with a view to reducing the vulnerability of persons with disabilities. Indigenous peoples were another often disenfranchised and excluded group, given that their livelihoods could depend heavily on their rights and access to land. UNDP had been working in innovative ways to strengthen the capacities of indigenous and Afro-descendent peoples in order to develop effective dialogues where their priorities and proposals for actions could be streamlined into national policy processes; for example, in Nicaragua, a mechanism formed at the subnational level – the Consultative Committee of Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples (CCPIAN) – systematically provided the United Nations country team with advice. 37. Ms. Sekkenes noted that the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was firmly grounded on the norms and standards of international human rights law, and geared towards addressing inequities and inequality. Although many States had taken significant strides to lift their populations out of poverty, inequality had continued to grow. Evidence suggested that, despite economic growth, the most marginalized did not have access to the same opportunities as other social groups. For UNDP, the notion of inclusion in development was inseparable from the broader concept of human rights. The inclusive participation of all sectors of society in discussing and developing policies and programmes affecting the population was critical for the sustainability and success of such processes. 38. UNDP was also working with many national human rights institutions around the world to ensure they had the capacity to play their important role in national systems for the promotion and protection of human rights. Ms. Sekkenes observed that national human rights institutions constituted a unique bridge between the Government, civil society and marginalized populations, and could bring the issues and rights of excluded groups to the forefront. In this context, she acknowledged the important work of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions in bringing social exclusion and human rights mainstreaming into the discussion on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. 39. The discussant Felix Kirchmeier, Manager of Policy Studies at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, pointed out that vulnerability should not be understood as a permanent state, but something that could be changed through positive action. Likewise, disability was largely a social construct. In order to address such vulnerability, it was essential to look at the origins of these issues rather than just their symptoms. In this regard, he asked Mr. Boulaa to elaborate on how vulnerable groups were able to engage in policymaking and how Algeria had addressed the intersectionality of human rights in these processes. He noted that the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities had issued a set of recommendations on the right to participation of disadvantaged groups. Mr. Kirchmeier also noted of the recent establishment by the Human Rights Council of the mandate of Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The inclusion of religious minorities was also important to keep in mind in inclusive policy making. Mr. Kirchmeier recalled that the high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development and the Working Group on the Right to Development had specifically underscored the importance of the social inclusion of vulnerable groups. 40. Mr. Mokhiber agreed that the legitimacy of policies depended on inclusive and participatory processes that allowed all relevant rights-holders to be engaged and have a say. An important question was what was being done to facilitate the authoritative participation of vulnerable groups. Disability was a social construct, and it was the role of policymakers to dismantle barriers and obstacles to the full realization of human rights. 9