A/HRC/21/4 78. Myanmar welcomed the efforts made by Ecuador to improve the rights of women and children; to address violence against women, and to eliminate child labour and illtreatment. Myanmar made recommendations. 79. Nicaragua commended Ecuador for its National Plan for Good Living, and its shared vision to recognize the citizen as a subject of rights and centre of human development. It wished to be informed about actions being taken to address inequalities in the society. Nicaragua made a recommendation. 80. In response to comments made by various delegations, Ecuador recalled that it considered the right to human development to be one of the key human rights guaranteed under government policies, at the heart of which was its successful buen vivir (good living) plan. Its poverty-reduction policy had been successful, leading to a sharp decrease in poverty between 2006 and 2011. 81. Regarding the comments made by Nicaragua, Ecuador emphasized that the inequality gap had narrowed, as recognized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Child labour had also been reduced and was no longer dependent on the economic cycle. Ecuador had grown accustomed to inequality, poverty and exclusion in the past, but the Plan for Good Living was helping to bring a previously ignored sector of the population to the forefront of public policy. 82. Turning to universal citizenship and migration policies, the delegation noted that the 2008 Constitution recognized and protected the rights of migrants and their families. The right to migration had been established, and a person with migrant status could not be deemed illegal. Less restrictive policies on human mobility had been introduced, such as allowing foreign nationals to enter the country without a visa for 90 days, with their full rights guaranteed during their stay. The State had a duty to ensure that Ecuadorians living abroad enjoyed their rights. Those living abroad for economic reasons had been a Government priority, with special institutions established to cater for the needs of Ecuadorian migrants abroad, including ensuring they received social security benefits while overseas. Meanwhile, many Ecuadorians had returned home since the economic upturn. 83. With regard to comments on prior consultation with indigenous peoples, Ecuador had ratified International Labour Organization Convention No. 169 (1989) concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, and the 2008 Constitution included prior consultation with indigenous peoples. The Constitution provided for indigenous communities to receive a share of development project profits and compensation where appropriate. Furthermore, the courts had stipulated how prior consultations should take place, requiring the participation of and dialogue with indigenous authorities, and the conducting of cultural, environmental and social impact studies prior to oil or mining projects. 84. With respect to the comment on preventing organized violent groups from establishing themselves in Ecuador, the delegation recalled that when violent situations had arisen in neighbouring countries, Ecuador had helped those countries while taking steps to prevent such problems occurring in its country. No organized groups were carrying out violent activities in Ecuador, but when they had occasionally entered Ecuador, the Government had detained, prosecuted or returned those responsible to their countries of origin. 85. There was a misperception that many people were currently held in prison for violent social protests, but the delegation stressed that only one person, an alleged student leader, had been prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned for a violent attack on the ViceRector of the country’s main university. The delegation said that the 1938 Criminal Code was under review, since the crime of “sabotage”, as such violent acts were known under the Code, referred solely to paralysis of public services. 10