A/HRC/43/42/Add.1 19. Moreover, there is a National Intersectorial Committee on Trafficking in Persons – comprised of numerous representatives from various departments, including the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of Health, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority, among others – which leads the implementation and administration of the Act. The National Policy Framework on Trafficking in Persons was passed in 2019 to guide an integrated approach to combating trafficking in persons and related matters. Provincial task forces on trafficking in persons are also operating throughout the country. 20. Regarding inclusive education, there are several legislative and policy instruments in place. These include the South African Schools Act (Act No. 84 of 1996); Education White Paper 6: Special Needs Education – Building an Inclusive Education and Training System; the Protocol for the Management and Reporting of Sexual Abuse and Harassment in Schools; and the Policy on Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support, of 2014, within the Department of Basic Education. 21. The National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Tolerance, of 2019, and the National Social Cohesion Strategy, of 2012, provide crucial frameworks within which the rights of persons with albinism can be fully realized. 22. The Constitution provides, in its chapter 9, for various institutions to strengthen constitutional democracy. These bodies are independent, impartial, and accountable to the National Assembly, where they have to report on their activities and performance annually. The “chapter 9” institutions, along with an independent judiciary, contribute to a normative framework under which compliance with international human standards and constitutional imperatives is mandatory. V. National Development Plan 23. The overarching framework on development and human rights issues is the country’s National Development Plan, with its vision of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality by 2030. The Plan, adopted in 2013, aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals, on which the Independent Expert bases her thematic and country reports. It focuses on development and human rights, and entails, for the Government, consecutive five-year plans as part of the Medium-term Strategic Framework. Currently, there are 14 broad priority areas in the Medium-term Strategic Framework, which are related to education, health, safety and security, economic growth and employment, skills development, infrastructure, rural development, human settlements, local government, the environment, international relations, the public sector, social protection, and nation-building and social cohesion. Updates and progress on these areas are required monthly, quarterly or annually, and there are budgetary allocations for implementation. 24. The Independent Expert’s findings and recommendations in the present report should be read through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals, with their central pledge to leave no one behind, which also underpins the goals of the National Development Plan. The Independent Expert emphasizes that development initiatives require that specific attention be paid to groups that have been left the furthest behind in the gains made over the past 25 years.8 A. Main findings Positive and exemplary initiatives 25. The Independent Expert notes a myriad of positive initiatives undertaken by South Africa. In addition to comprehensive legislative frameworks, the adoption of the Ekurhuleni 8 See A/73/181. 5