A/HRC/45/55
the civil registry office; this is the case in Bangui, particularly in the PK5 district, and
especially in the hinterland, where civil registry services and birth declaration and
registration registers have been destroyed or damaged. This situation denies children access
to their rights, including access to education and health services, and exposes them to child
trafficking and other forms of exploitation.
G.
Economic, social and cultural rights
64.
During the reporting period, the secretariat responsible for the National Recovery
and Peacebuilding Plan, with the support of the United Nations and its partners, assessed
the distribution of the dividends of peace among the population and reported some progress
in terms of access to social services and signs of economic recovery since 2016. As at 1
February 2020, of the $3.45 billion earmarked for the Plan, $1.99 billion had been
disbursed, bringing the financial implementation rate to 57.6 per cent.
65.
Border health checks and transport restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of
COVID-19 have had the effect of slowing trade flows. Reduced supply from local markets,
seasonal factors and the speculative behaviour of traders have given rise to abnormally high
commodity prices.
66.
Due to the overall calmer security situation and favourable rainfall forecasts over the
country between June and September 2020, at the end of the season, agricultural production
could exceed the average of the last five years while remaining below the pre-crisis
average. Nevertheless, insecurity, cassava disease, lack of improved seeds and recurrent
damage to fields caused by transhumant herders could reduce local harvests in the areas
concerned.
67.
Rising prices for staple foods also undermine the purchasing power of poor
households in urban centres, particularly in the capital, where job losses affect the poor
working in the informal sector. They are forced to reduce the size and quality of their
portions and the number of meals eaten per day. In January 2020, the decline in their
purchasing power exposed them to acute food insecurity exacerbated by the effects of
COVID-19. The United Nations estimates that 2.36 million people are in a situation of
severe food insecurity, which is only exacerbated by COVID-19.
68.
Since the end of May 2020, the weekly cross-border supply flows from Cameroon
have returned to a level similar to that recorded in 2019. However, ensuring an adequate
food supply in Bangui and in local markets remains difficult. Prices remain 30 to 60 per
cent higher than in June 2019.
69.
Preventive health measures, the seasonal deterioration of road conditions and
speculative trading are expected to contribute to an irregular supply to the local market. As
a result, basic commodity prices will remain high until the end of the lean season in August.
The new crop will lead to a seasonal decline in staple food prices, which are expected to be
at levels similar to those recorded at the end of 2019. However, the prices of imported
products could remain higher.
70.
In view of the comparatively lower level of conflict witnessed since the beginning of
the planting season in April and the expected above-average rainfall, agricultural
production in 2020 is expected to exceed the recent five-year average while remaining
below the pre-conflict average.
IV. Humanitarian situation
A.
Observations
71.
The tenuous security situation has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the
country and triggered the forced displacement of populations from areas of active fighting
to areas considered relatively peaceful. Based on figures from the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the total number of internally displaced persons
12
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