A/HRC/37/64 personnel. The number of people detained without an enforceable verdict remained very high, with only 25 per cent of prisoners serving a final sentence as at December. 31. In August, a royal decree was issued that repealed the subdecree on the establishment of the national preventive mechanism established under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This involves the restructuring of the mechanism; however, implementation is pending further secondary legislation. Concerns remain as to the functional independence of the mechanism in terms of its legal framework, the selection of its members, its role and duties, and its funding. 32. OHCHR conducted two human rights briefings for over 100 local police and gendarmerie officers in Kratie Province in July and Tbong Khmum Province in September. The briefings focused on the prevention of torture, rights upon arrest and use of force by law enforcement officials. They provided an opportunity for local officers to hold a dialogue with the prosecutor. 33. OHCHR continued to collaborate with trainers from the General Department of Prisons and the Professional Training Centre for Prison Officials of the Police Academy of Cambodia to improve the training of prison personnel. In this regard, in August and November, it co-organized two joint study visits to two prisons for 94 prison staff trainees and their 20 trainers, which allowed them to contextualize their learning in real prison environments. In November, OHCHR gave lectures on the prevention of torture and human rights-based approaches to prison management for 47 new recruits. OHCHR also worked with trainers to review the human rights content of their curriculum before compiling the selected modules for printing and dissemination. 34. With a view to allowing sick prisoners to receive medical care without restraints at hospitals outside places of detention, OHCHR continued to work with national and provincial health and prison authorities to install security features in one room at the referral hospital of Tbong Khmum Province. 35. Along with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), OHCHR advocated for the finalization of long-awaited secondary legislation on minimum standards for prison construction and renovation, foreseen in the 2011 Prison Law. Together with ICRC, the Office followed up in October with the General Department of Prisons on the latest draft of the legislation and the UNOPS technical guidelines on prison planning. 36. In addition, OHCHR supported two meetings for local police, court and prison officials in Pailin in July and in Kampong Speu in October to discuss possible solutions to the problem of improving the delivery of justice at the local level. OHCHR successfully advocated with local and national authorities to ensure the release of 10 persons who had been held in excessively lengthy detention. V. Protecting economic, social and cultural rights 37. Economic growth has continued at high levels of almost 7 per cent over the reporting period 4 and poverty continued to decline, although almost a third of the population is still living near the poverty line and risks slipping back into poverty. Consequently, it is important for economic growth to be accompanied by rights-based policies so as to generate sustainable human development outcomes. OHCHR welcomes the positive steps taken by the Government in this regard, such as the adoption of the Action Plan to Prevent and Respond to Violence against Children 2017–2021 and of the National Ageing Policy 2017–2030. In addition, the Government introduced improved social protection for workers in the informal sector. It also introduced a lump-sum payment scheme for pregnant female workers and announced plans to raise the minimum wage for 4 6 World Bank Group, Cambodia Climbing up the Manufacturing Value Chains, Cambodia Economic Update, October 2017, p. 7.