A/HRC/40/5 National Observatory of Places of Deprivation of Liberty, the National Unit to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the National Observatory on Gender Parity. 9. The Human Rights Directorate of the Ministry of Justice had been restructured into three offices: the Office for the Promotion and Dissemination of Human Rights, the Office of Training, Studies and Research and the Office for Follow-Up of International Commitments and Relations with National Human Rights Organizations. 10. In the same vein, the Minister recalled the importance Senegal attached to its cooperation with international human rights mechanisms, as reflected in the submission of 11 reports between 2013 and 2018 – including 3 initial reports and 5 periodic reports – as well as the visit by the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, the acceptance of the visit request by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and the pending visit by the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 11. When it came to improving the rights of specific groups, on the basis of the recommendations received and in application of the 2016–2018 action plan, the Children’s Code had been finalized and gender policy had been strengthened through the prime ministerial circular of 2013, which called on ministries to mainstream gender and establish 22 gender units, the adoption of the second gender equality strategy for the period 2016– 2026 and the increased representation of women in Parliament, with 69 women elected in 2017 compared to 64 in 2012. 12. Similarly, a gender perspective had been adopted by the Office of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, which was headed by a woman and had a genderbalanced composition of six women and six men. The rights of persons with disabilities had been strengthened through the Social Framework Act, the equal opportunities card, the National Community-based Rehabilitation Programme and universal health insurance coverage. 13. The Minister highlighted the recognition of the rights of minorities in the Constitution and the Criminal Code; the constitutional guarantee of civil and political rights, including the right to freedom of expression and of assembly; media pluralism; the consolidation of lasting peace and development programmes in the Casamance region; and the strengthening of the independence of the judiciary through Organic Act No. 2017-11 of 17 January 2017. 14. More broadly, the Minister recalled the measures Senegal had taken to combat torture and ill-treatment; to reduce prison overcrowding – including through collective pardons granted by the President of the Republic to some detainees; to ensure respect for economic, social and cultural rights and universal access to health-care services and drinking water; and to contribute to the work of the international criminal justice system by hosting the trial of the former President of Chad before the Extraordinary African Chambers in Dakar. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 15. During the interactive dialogue, 107 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of the present report. 16. Peru acknowledged the increase in the budgetary allocation to the National AntiTrafficking Unit and the National Observatory on Gender Parity. 17. Uzbekistan noted with satisfaction the development of major national mechanisms to defend human rights and welcomed the first national action plan to eliminate genderbased violence and promote human rights. 18. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela noted the promotion of universal access to health services by women and children with the universal health coverage programme, the GE.18-22584 3