A/HRC/17/34/Add.1 67. It is evident to the independent expert, from her visit and the information received, that the Government of Viet Nam attaches high importance to social protection. During the visit, the Prime Minister himself wrote a newspaper article recognizing that resources allocated for social security and welfare were still too low in Viet Nam and expressing the commitment of the Government to increase protection. In this regard, the independent expert highlights that the Government must increase support for social assistance schemes and for the expansion of health insurance coverage ensuring that human rights principles such as equality and non-discrimination, participation, transparency, access to information and accountability are respected in all policies implemented. 68. The independent expert believes in the Government’s intention to strengthen the human rights approach of its social protection policies and expects the recommendations below will assist the State in doing so. A. The principles of equality and non-discrimination 69. These are overarching human rights principles that must guide all State policies.69 Compliance with these principles requires, for example, giving priority to policies that address the specific obstacles preventing the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups from enjoying their rights on equal terms with the rest of the population. To address structural disadvantage the State may also need to take affirmative action to diminish or eliminate conditions which cause or help to perpetuate poverty. 70. Ensuring compliance with these principles is particularly relevant in the following areas: 1. Targeting 71. While targeting mechanisms may be seen as a way of reaching the poorest (particularly when resources are limited), from a human rights perspective caution is required, as the obligation remains for the State to strive to ensure the progressive realization of the widest possible enjoyment of rights. However, targeted schemes must be implemented within a longer-term strategy of progressively ensuring universal protection, avoiding unfair exclusion of beneficiaries and in compliance with all other human rights principles (e.g. avoiding stigmatization, ensuring transparency). 72. In certain cases, such as the provision of non-contributory pensions to older persons and social protection measures to persons with disabilities, a universal categorical approach may be preferable, both to limit unfair exclusions and to avoid the high costs of complex administrative procedures required for targeting systems. Universal programmes are also more in line with human rights obligations as they reduce opportunities for corruption and manipulation as well as possible stigmatization. 73. In practical terms, to comply with the principles of equality and non-discrimination when pursuing targeted programmes, policymakers must: (a) Carefully screen policy choices to avoid the unfair exclusion of disadvantaged and disempowered groups. Particular attention should be paid to ensure that people living in remote and mountainous areas, persons with disabilities, unemployed workers, working poor in the informal sector, urban poor, persons with HIV/AIDS, and 69 See e.g. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, arts. 2(2) and 3; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, arts. 2(1), 3 and 26; International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination art. 2(1); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, art 2; Convention on the Rights of the Child, art. 2(1). 17