BOX 16. (continued) for integrated development, aimed at the achievement of the MDGs by Afro-descendants; (b) Knowledge on Afro-descendants’ rights among Afro-descendants’ civil society strengthened; (c) Capacities of national implementing partners to implement policies and plans on the needs and demands of Afro-descendants strengthened; and (d) International cooperation in support of the development of the Afrodescendant population effectively coordinated. Key activities: (a) Based on the National Development Plan, build a strategic framework for the implementation of a public policy for the Afro-descendant population, particularly from Guayaquil; (b) Provide technical assistance to incorporate an intercultural and gender-sensitive approach and special attention to the Afrodescendant population into “Plan Ecuador”; (c) Support the evaluation of the 2001 World Conference Against Racism Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) and improvements in achieving the MDGs by the Afro-descendants, and promote follow-up actions for the DDPA’s effective implementation; (d) Provide technical legal support for the formulation and approval of a draft bill on racial equality and affirmative action; and (e) Support the establishment of a mechanism for followingup, monitoring and reporting racial discrimination acts and for monitoring and evaluating public policies of social inclusion. 88 Strategy: The design of the project was fundamentally guided by existing public policies, updated tools for assessing the situation of the Afro-descendant population, the strategic focus areas of CODAE (Corporación de Desarrollo Afroecuatoriano), and a complementarity with other present and future international cooperation efforts for Afro-descendants. The project encompasses an integrated and inclusive approach to human development, including the formulation and implementation of affirmative action. The project promotes broad and active participation of Afro-descendant organizations, both national and local, throughout the different phases of the project cycle, and the national coordinating mechanism will work with a wide range of local government authorities, civil society organisations, as well as the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID). The project is guided by the fundamental human rights principles enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, ILO Convention 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the Millennium Declaration. Moreover, the implementation of the project will attempt to incorporate the recommendations formulated by the UN Treaty Bodies and the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, especially those related to the rights of Afro-descendents, racial discrimination and the follow-up to the DDPA. M A R G I N A L I S E D M I N O R I T I E S I N D E V E LO P M E N T P R O G R A M M I N g

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