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National plan on equality between men and women. In its previous comments, the Committee asked for information on the measures taken under the 2004–07 National Public Policy Plan for the full exercise of women’s rights. It notes that the Plan was implemented in part, including through activities to deal with the problems of violence and citizens’ participation, such as the holding of workshops in mining centres or with organizations of rural women. The Government indicates that access to credit has been democratized with 50 per cent of all loans by the Production Development Bank going to women entrepreneurs. A gender-sensitive budget programme is being developed with participation of the organizations of women grouped together in the National Bureau for Work on Gender-Sensitive Budgets and this is reflected, inter alia, in plans and programmes for rural development and in municipal programmes. Some of the objectives of these programmes are: (i) gender equality in access to, and use and control of, the resources of production; (ii) access to and equality in participation in decision-making; and (iii) enhancing opportunities for paid employment and income generation. The Government also states that in the new Constitution, promulgated on 7 February 2009, focus on gender is more systematic and practical than it was in the old Constitution. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the legislative and policy changes with respect to equality between women and men in employment and occupation as a result of the new Constitution. Noting that, under Supreme Decree No. 29894 of 7 February 2009, the Ministry of Justice and the Vice-Ministry of Equality of Opportunity are given specific competences with respect to the formulation and implementation of plans, programmes and policies directed at promoting equality of opportunity between men and women, the Committee asks the Government to provide detailed information on any programmes and policies specifically concerning equality of opportunity and treatment in employment and occupation that have been adopted by these bodies and their implementation.

Indigenous women. The Committee notes that, in the framework of the sectoral programme support to the rights of indigenous peoples and of the programme to regularize and title indigenous lands (Componente Saneamiento y Titulación de Tierras Comunitarias de Origen Fase II 2005–09), funded by Denmark, a strategy is to be formulated for cross-cutting gender activities in the regularization of lands, with a view to including systematic participation by women in all processes of regularization of agricultural land. The Committee notes that, in the period 1997–2005, women accounted for 46 per cent of a total of 42,178 titles and certificates issued. It also notes with interest that the Distribution of Lands and Human Settlements Programme of the Lands Vice-Ministry includes a gender perspective in many activities, for instance a gender dimension has been incorporated in the Five-Year Plan to regularize and issue titles in respect of community ancestral lands. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on this matter.

Racial discrimination. The Committee notes the Government’s statement that public policy measures are being taken with respect to racial discrimination and that the political will exists to tackle racism and discrimination. It notes the measures indicated by the Government on literacy programmes, redistribution policy, and universal access to health services, which focus on disadvantaged sectors that suffer from structural racial discrimination. The Government indicates that there is a new approach to the framing of public policies which is based on the redistribution criteria set forth in the “Vivir Bien” National Development Plan, in sectoral plans and inter-institutional initiatives that are implemented in combination with legislation that targets the fundamental causes of racial discrimination. The Government indicates that the lands and territory issue is of great importance to the elimination of the servitude, exploitation and slavery suffered by the peoples that are subject to such racism. The report refers to the “Plan Guaraní”, which seeks to restore the fundamental rights of the Guaraní people, including the restitution in part of their lands of origin. The Ministry of Labour is at present giving impetus to the promulgation of legal standards on workers’ rights in the sugar cane and chest nut sectors. Furthermore, the Ministry of the Presidency’s group on the Coordination and Promotion of Indigenous Policy and Rights has given priority to tackling racial discrimination in its plan of operations for 2008. The Government also refers to the application of the requirement to consult indigenous peoples on their participation in the profits of extraction operations, their participation in environmental control, and other forms of wealth redistribution to combat structural exclusion and discrimination. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information in this regard.

Access to education and vocational training. The Committee notes with interest the measures taken to give priority to education for rural and indigenous peoples and women. It notes the creation of three inter-cultural community indigenous universities (Unibol), one for the Aymará people, another for the Quechua and the other for the Guaraní. The Committee addresses this point in greater detail in its comments under Convention No. 169. The Government further indicates that education being the basis for equitable access to jobs, the intake in secondary schools for both sexes was higher in 2006 than in 2005. However, while male enrolment was 57.42 per cent, female enrolment was 42.58 per cent. Since the lowest school attendance rates are registered in rural areas, particularly among women, the national education policy makes such areas a priority and has established two implementation plans, one on rural boarding accommodation and the other on rural transport, to facilitate access to school for girls and young persons and to keep them in education. The “Vivir Bien” National Development Plan includes education as a priority, taking into account that the first problem to be tackled is lack of equality in education, in terms of access, quality and avoidance of drop-out. In this framework, the Ministry of Education formulated its Multiannual Operation Plan 2004–08 (POMA) as part of the Strategic Plan for the education sector. With regard to technical training geared to the production sector, coverage is to be 171,074 men and 156,873 women. The Government refers to other measures, and by way of conclusion states that “the aim is to lay new foundations for education in Bolivia in the interests of education that is decolonized, equitable, inter-cultural and bilingual. The Committee encourages the Government to pursue this path and requests it to continue to provide information on these matters.

The Committee is raising other points in a request addressed directly to the Government.