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The country’s debt relief strategy is contained in the document, Debt Relief for Development: A Plan of Action (the Plan of Action).5 This is an update of the document, Towards the Year 2000 and Beyond: The Norwegian Debt Relief Strategy, the country’s first coherent plan of action which was launched in October 1998. (...) With regard to Ecuador, Norway planned to “conduct negotiations, within its Plan of Action”, on “a multilaterally coordinated debt swap with Ecuador”. (...) In addition to the above provisions, the National Development Plan 2009–2013 of Ecuador contains several policies concerning external debt. __________ 41 Between 1990 and 2004, public spending on health averaged 1.1 per cent of GDP.

In April 1991, the Menem Government introduced the “convertibility plan” with the aim of addressing the chronic inflation which plagued the country. The plan legally guaranteed the convertibility of pesos to United States dollars at a one-to-one fixed rate. (...) A toxic combination of cuts in public spending, public sector wages and jobs deepened the recession.

Local authorities cut net spending on services in real terms by 19 per cent from 2010–2011 to 2016–2017 and focused remaining spending on statutorily mandated social care and child protection services, demand for which has increased.50 The leader of one city council explained that while being forced to cut preventive services, local governments have faced increased demands for even costlier crisis interventions. Between 2011–2012 and 2016–2017, cash-strapped local authorities reduced spending on preventive housing services by £590 million or 46 per cent, but increased crisis spending on housing by £360 million or 58 per cent.51 42. (...) This figure excludes spending on schools and public health. 51 Adam Tinson, Carla Ayrton and Issy Petrie, A Quiet Crisis: Local Government Spending on Disadvantage in England, New Policy Institute and Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, September 2018, p. 29. 52 Patrick Butler, “Task force to be sent to protect vulnerable children in Northamptonshire”, Guardian, 13 November 2018. 53 National Accounting Office, “Financial sustainability of local authorities 2018,” pp. 10–11. 54 Gavin Aitchison, “Compassion in crisis: how do people in poverty stay afloat in times of emergency?”

To this end, our submission makes specific recommendations which we believe can support the UK Government in this task over the next two years. 1.7 National Action Plan for Human Rights 19. We believe the UK Government would benefit from adopting a National Action Plan for Human Rights, as we believe a National Action Plan would enable the UK Government to13: • operate far more strategically, ensuring its efforts were streamlined and better co- ordinated across Whitehall and at a local level • facilitate the sharing of best practice initiatives • improve the way it measures and evidences human rights progress on the ground, and • improve coordination, preparation and timely submission of state reports to the Human Rights Council and treaty bodies. 20. We commend the Scottish Government for implementing the Scottish National Action Plan (SNAP) on human rights and look forward to understanding how it has supported the Scottish Government in co-ordinating and fulfilling its human rights responsibilities. (...) (Recommendation 74) __________ 13 Recommendation 46 which the UK accepted: Adopt and implement a concrete plan of action realising recommendations of treaty bodies and UN human rights mechanisms, and international human rights obligations: UPR Recommendations to the UK.

In addition, the National Development Plan 2002-2006 (Act No. 812/2003) instituted a “rationalization of the justice service”. (...) The National Development Plan 2002-2006 makes the “education revolution” a priority in the social sphere. (...) The fact that military spending takes priority over social investment in Colombia is illustrated by the increase in military spending from 3.5 to 5.8 per cent of GDP in 2006,33 notwithstanding the constitutional obligation to give priority to public-sector social investment over any other kind of spending.

The regulations do not, on their face, prohibit the spending of funds on institutions – or on trans-institutionalization. (...) In any event, if European Union additionality is understood to mean genuine innovation (in spending taxpayers’ money) then there can be no value in spending that money to reinforce outdated policy solutions. 46. (...) The European Union Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, 2020–2024, contains many references to disability, including encouraging the ratification of the Convention by third countries.

Education Reform Action Plan 2009–2010 27. Following a national economic crisis in 2007 and 2008, the Education Reform Action Plan 2009–2010 was launched to address concerns related to the administration of education, including staffing issues. (...) In the course of dialogue with the Special Rapporteur, the authorities informed him of the latest education reform plan, launched in 2013, the Education Sector Medium Term Strategy (MTS) 2013–2017. (...) The plan also established monitoring and evaluation committees.

This could be complemented by the adoption of a national human rights action plan and by ensuring that the Sustainable Development Vision 2030 explicitly refers to international human rights law. 9. (...) This plan included a range of measures, from fiscal consolidation to changes in the social programme architecture. (...) This also means that when it comes to the health and education sectors, while the level of spending has remained relatively similar during growth peaks,19 the Government acknowledges that it has not increased sufficiently over that period.20 Public spending on education increased from 14–16 per cent of total government spending in 2006–2010 to 18– 19 per cent in 2013–2014, but declined to 13 per cent in 2016.21 20.

This is followed by medium-term planning instruments including the Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty (PARPA), sectoral and E/CN.4/2006/46/Add.1 Page 10 provincial strategies and plans and the Medium Term Expenditure Framework. (...) The PARPA thus incorporates various dimensions of the National Population Policy, the Food Security Strategy, the National Strategic Plan to Fight STD/HIV/AIDS, the Post-Beijing Action Plan and the National Integrated Social Action, Employment and Youth Programme. (...) Special annual poverty reports are also prepared in conjunction with the review of the Economic and Social Plan. The review is submitted to the Poverty Observatory, which was established in 2003 to bring together all stakeholders from the Government, civil society organizations and international partners.

Despite their limitations, these schemes have afforded some heavily indebted poor countries fiscal space to increase spending on basic social services such as health and education. (...) In this context, foreign assistance provides much of the budget revenue and funds for capital spending, sustaining a large portion of the country’s economy. 40. (...) However, there is widespread concern that a recent freeze on public sector spending (including a halt in recruitments and wage spending) may be linked to fiscal requirements of this programme and that such policy may undermine the efforts of development partners to build the human resources capacity of the Government.