A/HRC/19/48 certification mechanisms in cooperation with the international community, and in its dealings with the mining industry. 16 26. Budget allocations for education and health have been considerably increased in 2011. The High Commissioner commends the Government for this important step. However, health centres and schools continue to depend on user fees for funding, which systematically excludes the poorest households and puts a tremendous strain on the livelihoods of many others. Between 24 July and 5 August 2011, the independent expert on foreign debt and human rights conducted a mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a particular view to assessing the impact of the country’s debt burden on economic, social and cultural rights.17 Activities of the Joint Human Rights Office 27. UNJHRO continued to monitor human rights violations linked to the illegal exploitation of natural resources. In the framework of the STAREC programme,18 mineral trading centres (comptoirs) have been established in the Kivu provinces by MONUSCO, in collaboration with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. The project seeks to ensure the legal exploitation of natural resources and to remove armed groups and FARDC battalions from the commodity chain. 28. UNJHRO continues to raise awareness about the illegal exploitation of natural resources and is actively trying to engage civil society in this area. For instance, on 28 and 29 September 2011, in Goma, the Office of the High Commissioner organized, in cooperation with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, organized in Goma a series of training sessions for journalists and civil society members on regional initiatives in the fight against the illegal exploitation of resources and on the economic and social rights of the local population. Obstacles 29. Economic and social rights and the initiatives taken by the Government in this regard are still hampered by the obstacles highlighted in the High Commissioner’s previous reports.19 For instance, ministries responsible for collecting taxes deriving from natural resource extraction suffer from lack of capacity and endemic corruption, which substantially depletes revenue collection from this activity. Due to the chronic underpayment of civil servants in all Government sectors, corruption practices have taken root, compromising State efficiency in realizing economic and social rights. The budget allocated to basic economic and social rights remains very low. 16 17 18 19 Presidential Decree No. 11/26 of 20 May 2011 introduced the obligation to publish all contracts concluded by the State or a State-owned enterprise concerning the exploration or exploitation of natural resources. The report of the independent expert will be presented to the twentieth session of the Human Rights Council in March 2012. Programme de stabilisation et de reconstruction des zones sortant de conflits armés. A/HRC/13/64, para. 29; A/HRC/16/27, para. 37. 11