A/HRC/20/25 taken by States to improve national laws or policies and programmes affecting people living in poverty. 18. The countries visited differ greatly both in terms of development and relevant human rights concerns. The impact of the recommendations is therefore assessed according to the different levels of resources and individual circumstances and challenges faced by each country, and should not be considered as a comparative analysis. II. Ecuador 19. From 10 to 15 November 2008, the Special Rapporteur undertook a mission to Ecuador (see A/HRC/11/9/Add.1). Economic growth in the country has varied since the mission; the rate was expected to reach 8 per cent in 2011.14 20. Reflecting the significant investments Ecuador has made in its cash transfer programme, poverty declined from 35.1 per cent of the population in December 2008 to 28.6 per cent in December 2011, and extreme poverty was cut from 15.7 per cent to 11.6 per cent.15 The Special Rapporteur welcomes this progress, while acknowledging that the Government still has much to do to eradicate poverty and persistent social inequalities between different geographical areas and ethnic groups and between men and women. In particular, she notes that Ecuador must still take steps to raise the level of public expenditure allocated to areas such as education, health and social security, which is increasing but remains at below 10 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).16 21. In the mission report, the Special Rapporteur analysed the situations of groups particularly vulnerable to poverty in Ecuador, and the social protection programmes in place, with particular emphasis on the Bono de Desarrollo Humano (BDH) conditional cash transfer programme. She made a number of recommendations on incorporating human rights principles into the design and implementation of poverty reduction programmes. The following sections revisit the recommendations and assess their level of implementation by the State. 22. The Special Rapporteur notes that the Government of Ecuador was open to engaging in dialogue during and after the mission, and extends her appreciation to the Government for responding to her enquiries and providing information about developments relevant to her recommendations. 23. The information contained below is drawn in part from responses provided by the Government and by other stakeholders, including the United Nations Country Team and civil society organizations. A. Legal and institutional framework 24. The Special Rapporteur congratulates Ecuador for having ratified the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Still, despite being the first country to ratify this important treaty, there is low usage of protection 14 15 16 6 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2011, p. 81. Data submitted by the Government based on calculations from the National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC). According to ECLAC, for 2010 the extreme poverty rate was 16.4 per cent (see http://interwd.cepal.org/perfil_ODM/perfil_pais.asp?pais=ECU&id_idioma=1). ECLAC, Social Panorama of Latin America 2011, briefing paper, p. 43.