A/HRC/13/28 26. The United Nations Family integrated its support in the country in line with the Agenda for Change, developing the Joint Vision of the United Nations Family for Sierra Leone. This document consolidates 21 programmes of the United Nations Family in Sierra Leone, including one on access to justice and human rights. It defines human rights as a cross-cutting issue in all programmes, and is committed to adopting a right-based approach to all 21 of them. 27. The first phase of the Bumbuna hydroelectricity project was completed. Freetown and some other towns began to receive a regular electricity supply in October 2009. A regular power supply is expected to be instrumental to the creation of income-generating activities that will eventually improve living standards. 28. Access to basic health services continued to be a serious challenge. Most government hospitals suffer from shortages of staff, medical equipment and necessary medicines. For example, in February, the Magburaka Government Hospital informed the Human Rights Section that the maternity ward, which had more than 20 patients, had only one midwife, and there was no blood bank in the hospital. Concerns were also raised that the pharmacies in the country were selling counterfeit, expired and controlled drugs without prescription. Responding to this problem, in November, the Ministry of Health cancelled the licences of more than 21 pharmaceutical outlets. 29. In November, the Government adopted a five-year health sector strategy to address health issues in the country systematically. The President also announced that free healthcare services would be provided to pregnant women and children under 5 years of age as of April 2010. III. Rule of law and administration of justice, including transitional justice A. Rule of law and administration of justice 30. The Anti-Corruption Commission played an effective role in prosecuting several high-profile cases under the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 (the act conferred on the Commission prosecutorial power for such cases). A former ombudsman was convicted on 163 charges of corruption; the Minister for Health was also indicted. Following successful prosecution, the Minister was removed from office. A magistrate was indicted and an investigation into the affairs of a high court judge was opened. 31. The bar association registered its dissatisfaction with the manner in which the AntiCorruption Commission was handling the corruption cases involving judges and magistrates. This view was expressed by the bar when a high court judge was arrested in June in his chamber in dubious circumstances. The bar association was concerned that the modus operandi of the Anti-Corruption Commission could undermine the credibility of the justice system. 32. The judiciary carried out strategic reforms, ranging from human resource development to infrastructural improvements, with the support of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and the Justice Sector Development Programme of the Department for International Development. Eight new magistrate courts were established in various communities to ensure access to justice, and also to decongest some of the magistrate courts in central Freetown. A child-friendly court was established in Freetown, and is now in session on a daily basis. Preparations are under way to establish and operationalize a commercial court in 2010, to ensure that commercial disputes are handled by specialized courts. The judiciary also made progress in human resource development. In 2009, five new GE.10-10771 9