A/HRC/2/SR.12 6. The report highlighted some of the obstacles and challenges relating to the formulation of draft general guidelines pursuant to resolutions 2004/18 and 2005/19 of the Commission on Human Rights. In order to finalize the proposed guidelines, it would be necessary to: determine the “sustainable” level of external debt of a country; undertake an independent estimation of the resources needed to meet the minimum core obligations of a country under international human rights instruments; and reflect further on operational questions. Given those conceptual and operational challenges, an extended time frame for the formulation of the guidelines would be necessary, in particular to allow proper and meaningful consultations with all stakeholders and to obtain the views of a significant number of Member States on the need and scope of such guidelines, which he had already solicited. 7. Referring to his mission to Mozambique in July 2005, he said that that country had made important strides in achieving economic growth, microeconomic stability and debt sustainability. The HIPC Initiative and debt-rescheduling had enabled the Government to protect social expenditure, but the country remained highly dependent on external assistance and faced important challenges in terms of both poverty reduction and human rights. Despite the high rate of economic growth in recent years, Mozambique remained very low on the Human Development Index. Progress in poverty reduction varied widely from region to region. The mission had revealed that economic growth and macroeconomic stability were necessary, but not in themselves sufficient, conditions for the reduction of poverty and the realization of human rights. Although the efforts made by all stakeholders to implement the country’s poverty reduction strategy were commendable, more specific efforts were needed to integrate human rights into the goals, plans and processes under the Strategy in order to ensure that the opportunities created by debt relief had a sustainable impact on poverty reduction. 8. Mozambique was also an instructive illustration of innovative partnership and cooperation between donors and the Government. General budget support and joint review mechanisms provided ample opportunities to ensure country ownership, transparency and accountability. Human rights principles could provide a strong legal basis for those concepts. 9. The prolonged civil war had had serious debilitating effects on human development and capacity. Despite the Government’s commitment to the promotion and protection of all human rights, its capacity to protect those rights and citizens’ capacity to exercise them were limited. Further progress with judicial reform and the establishment of an independent human rights institution were essential in that regard. He had been pleased to learn that the revised “Poverty reduction strategy paper II (2006–2010)” contained improvements and innovations, including: the establishment of human rights as one of the priorities of democratic governance; provisions for human rights training and anti-discrimination activities; the explicit recognition of food, housing and education as social, economic and cultural rights; and the recognition of HIV/AIDS as a significant challenge to the effective enjoyment of all human rights and acknowledgement that the rights of people affected by HIV/AIDS must be protected. The Government’s decision to take priority measures under the revised strategy in order to establish an accessible, transparent and inclusive justice system was also commendable. The implementation of the new cycle of the revised Strategy should be guided by human rights principles. The continued monitoring of public expenditure and the securing of new loans were crucial. He welcomed efforts to strengthen the “poverty observatory” and recommended further strengthening the capacity of NGOs and other stakeholders in monitoring public spending from a human rights stand point. 10. Mr. Qerimaj (Observer for Albania), referring to the report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography on his mission to Albania (E/CN.4/2006/67/Add.1), said that some of the issues mentioned in that GE.09-17372 3

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