A/HRC/44/11 implementation of the recommendations accepted during the second cycle of the universal periodic review. 10. The cycle of instability that followed the military coup of 12 April 2012 ended in 2014, with the holding of both legislative and presidential elections. An improvement in the country’s political and institutional framework had then been expected, and the holding of the Brussels round table in 2015 promised to transform Guinea-Bissau. However, what seemed to be a turning point in the country did not materialize, and the fall of the first Government of the ninth parliament on 12 August 2015 triggered a new political crisis. Political instability worsened, as illustrated by the fact that the successive eight Governments formed by presidential initiative failed to approve even a government programme of work, resulting in a prolonged blockage of the country’s public institutions. 11. However, with the support of the country’s partners, the six-point road map entitled “Agreement on the Resolution of the Political Crisis in Guinea-Bissau” and the Conakry Agreement on the implementation of the road map were signed, allowing the country to form a consensual Government. This created the necessary conditions for the parliamentary elections of 10 March 2019 and the presidential election of 24 November 2019. The second round of the presidential election was held on 29 December 2019, the final results of which remained at an impasse. 12. Notwithstanding those setbacks, the Government established important initiatives to implement the recommendations received in the previous universal periodic review cycles. 13. In the field of infrastructure, the Government adopted several measures that would result in a significant improvement in working conditions and in the services provided, and which would afford citizens greater access to justice. 14. The delegation provided information on the construction of courts and the establishment of birth registration centres in several of the country’s regions and the provision of legal aid for economically deprived persons. 15. The modernization of services and the combating of corruption and embezzlement of funds were also primary concerns of the Government. Measures adopted included the control of domestic revenues and the computerization of services. Criminal records had already been fully computerized, and civil registration services were to be computerized very soon. 16. In the legislative area, a number of achievements were highlighted including: the adoption of the new statute regarding the remuneration of judges; the approval of the Act on the Recovery of Assets from Crime, which was an important instrument to fight crime; and the implementation of the Organic Act on the registry of the judiciary and the prosecutor’s office, which would allow for greater control over the revenues of both the courts and other services provided by the Ministry of Justice. 17. The approval of the national plan on civil status and vital statistics would be a very important instrument as the country still struggled with a high rate of children and adults who did not exist from a legal and statistical point of view, owing to the lack of birth registration. Additionally, the process relating to the adoption of the National Strategic Plan on Combating Drugs and Organized Crime and Reducing Risk was currently ongoing. 18. The Government was committed to combating impunity for acts that constituted human rights violations, including allegations of arbitrary detention, torture and illtreatment. For the first time in the country’s history, members of the security forces had been tried and convicted for such crimes. In 2016, four police officers were convicted for their involvement in the homicide of a citizen in police custody and an agent of the National Guard was convicted to eight years’ imprisonment for the rape of a citizen. 19. A number of recommendations from the second cycle of the universal periodic review had been implemented, notably those to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 20. There were still significant challenges in many areas, as identified during the universal periodic review. However, the main challenge that Guinea-Bissau would face, 3