A/HRC/20/35 committed to invest more to support the Government’s efforts to ensure equal access to education, health and a decent living standard, including water, food and adequate housing, which help to reduce poverty. 54. Furthermore, this important ratification supplements other international instruments to which the country is a party, including the Rio Conventions, the United Nations Millennium Declaration, the Convention against Discrimination in Education, agreements on the right to education, conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT). 55. The Independent Expert points out that the rights to food,13 health,14 education,15 16 work and adequate housing17 are also included in the Haitian Constitution of 1987. 56. The Independent Expert will continue to address all these subjects, with the involvement of the authorities at the highest level, United Nations agencies and Haitian civil society. To this end the Independent Expert has also proposed a series of thematic workshops on economic, social and cultural rights for the Haitian Government, with the participation of mandate holders of the special procedures of the Human Rights Council. These seminars, organized in cooperation with UN-Women, will make it possible to work jointly with the Haitian authorities, United Nations specialized agencies and representatives of Haitian civil society on various economic and social rights. 57. The proposal has been well received. At the time of writing, the first seminar was scheduled to take place in the spring of 2012, with the Special Rapporteur on the right to food. Others will follow, with other mandate holders, including those working on the rights to water, education, health and housing; this series may draw to a close with an event held with the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. 58. The Independent Expert welcomes the efforts made by the Haitian Government to revive the economy in urban and rural areas. He also invites humanitarian organizations and donors, together with the Government, to assess their impact on the local economy so as to ensure that the development is sustainable. Donors and humanitarian organizations must ensure the provision of basic necessities while at the same time working to reduce the country’s dependence on such external support. 59. To do so, programmes aimed at strengthening the economic autonomy of Haitians, in particular of women, must be set up. Such job creation must take place with wages that allow for a decent standard of living. The programmes must meet non-discrimination standards and ensure equal access for men and women. 60. The Independent Expert supports the efforts of the Government and donors to concentrate on the informal and semi-formal economies, even if it is crucial to develop more formal sectors. Supporting and training women who earn their living from informal activities must be a priority so as to develop their economic outlook and increase their economic independence. 13 14 15 16 17 12 Articles 19, 22 and 248 of the Constitution. Articles 19 and 23 of the Constitution. Article 32-1 of the Constitution. Article 35 of the Constitution. Article 22 of the Constitution. GE.12-13208