A/HRC/40/15 14. On 21 June 2012, the Government had approved the opening of an OHCHR country office to further strengthen cooperation with the Office. The Government had organized an event to mobilize the funds needed to open the country office. After many years of waiting, the international community had finally resolved to allocate the resources necessary (albeit at a lower than expected level) for the forthcoming opening of the office. 15. In 2015, the country had welcomed the President of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who was conducting several investigations in Chad in relation to crimes committed in the Central African Republic. The Minister of Justice welcomed the conviction of the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré and his accomplices by final decisions of the Extraordinary African Chambers in Dakar, on the one hand, and the Criminal Court of N’Djamena, on the other. 16. The Minister of Justice regretted that, in both sets of proceedings, the question of reparation still had to be resolved before the sensitive case could be definitively closed, which had caused many irreversible tragedies in the life of the nation. He promised that, upon his return to the country, he would look into the case with the victims and their counsel in order to find an early solution and ensure that the judgment was enforced. He solemnly appealed to all friends of Chad to contribute to the successful completion of transitional justice, especially in terms of reparation and guarantees of non-repetition. 17. The progress made on human rights since the previous universal periodic review cycle was measured in terms of civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights and the rights of specific groups as well as cross-cutting issues such as equality and non-discrimination for women, environmental challenges and the fight against terrorism. 18. The Government had made considerable progress in the area of equality and nondiscrimination. In that regard, several pieces of non-discrimination legislation concerning the status of women had been adopted, such as the Ordinance of 22 May 2018 on Gender Parity in Elections and Appointments to Office. Similarly, projects had been launched to enhance the status and situation of women, while institutions for the promotion of women’s rights, such as the Women’s Centre, had been established. 19. On the subject of environmental protection, Chad had adopted several statutes and regulations to prohibit illegal logging and the destruction of the environment. To mitigate the impact of those measures, the Government had subsidized the price of butane gas. 20. Chad was central to the framework for combating terrorism in the Sahel and the Chad Basin. Substantial human, material and financial resources had been mobilized in this war, which terrorist networks had forced on the country. With backing from brotherly States and friends in the subregion, Chad was attempting to lead the fight against that sometimes invisible force. The country’s friends stood alongside it, in support of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Chad Basin and the forces of the Group of Five for the Sahel, by providing a development-based response in order to foster resilience. Since humanitarian action alone was not a sustainable response, more resources should be mobilized to combat poverty, which was at the root of the indoctrination of young people who often had nothing to do. 21. Within the framework for political dialogue, the 2016 presidential election had been held in a consensual, participatory and inclusive manner. All the country’s prominent community leaders had taken part and the victor had been recognized by all. The National Framework for Political Dialogue had brought together the Government and the opposition, with equal representation of both sides, to put in place the necessary arrangements for peaceful elections. In that context, in November 2018, the National Assembly had unanimously voted in favour of a bill for the establishment of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which had been submitted by the Government but which was the outcome of consensus work within the National Framework for Political Dialogue. 22. Moreover, the inclusive national forum that had been convened in March 2018 had provided a broad platform for defining the strategic policy lines that would guide the country in the coming years. Human rights in general, and rights specific to certain categories of persons in particular, occupied a prominent place in the resolutions that had emerged from the forum. The framework for political dialogue had been reviewed and the 4 GE.18-22801