A/HRC/26/11 9. Comoros had strengthened civil and political rights. A national human rights policy had been adopted in November 2012. 10. Comoros was working to combat torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment. Torture was criminalized under the bill to revise the Criminal Code, which also prohibited trafficking in persons and abolished the death penalty. It was recalled that, in compliance with the United Nations moratorium on the use of the death penalty, no prisoners had been executed since 2009. 11. Progress had been made in improving the living conditions of prisoners. Huge progress had been made in developing the infrastructure and capacity of the justice system, particularly with regard to dealing with minors. However, it was difficult to achieve the required level given the Government’s limited financial resources. 12. Good governance was a major area of concern. A National Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms, a National Commission to Prevent and Combat Corruption a Procurement Commission and an audit chamber in the Supreme Court had recently been set up. 13. Many women had participated in free, democratic and transparent elections in 2010. 14. Genuine efforts were being made to strengthen economic, social and cultural rights. They had been endorsed by the international financial community, and had qualified Comoros for support under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. 15. The Government supported the private sector and the business environment had improved. The Investment Code had been amended and investors enjoyed certain advantages over five years. 16. The tourism sector, which was a major source of employment, had been revived. Technical education was encouraged. 17. Labour legislation had been strengthened to enhance protection for workers. The legislation governing the social insurance fund had been amended to provide greater clarity and facilitate access to health benefits. 18. The constitutional right to form and join trade unions was regulated by the Labour Code. The Administrative Court and the Labour Inspectorate had jurisdiction to hear disputes between workers and employers. 19. Food self-sufficiency was a priority. The Government facilitated access to credit for fishermen, livestock farmers and crop farmers. Their respective trade unions were involved in drafting all public policies that affected them. 20. The standard of Comorian housing was generally decent even though it was not of a high standard. There had been a significant improvement in the standard of housing in recent years. 21. The right to health was basic. A strategic plan to strengthen capacity over the period 2010–2014 had been adopted. Important measures had been adopted to reduce child and maternal mortality. Since 2012, free access to emergency care had been introduced and the fee for caesarean sections had been halved. New health facilities had also been established. 22. Education was one of the drivers of socioeconomic development. The Educational Policy Act had been supplemented by four important documents: a report on the national education system, a sectoral framework paper on education, an educational policy paper, a mission statement from the head of State to the Minister for Education, Research, Culture and Arts with responsibility for Youth and Sport outlining government policy in the area of education, and the Education Master Plan for the period 2015–2020. Cross-cutting 4 GE.14-13136