A/HRC/21/34 issues. Commission staff members, despite their motivation, lack long-term training in investigation, monitoring, reporting, advocacy and human rights law. Moreover, the physical infrastructure of the Commission does not provide for adequate working conditions. 59. Although the Human Rights Commission lacks funds for a full range of activities, it is not clear whether it would have the capacity to manage further resources efficiently. Even with limited resources, however, the Commission could do more to establish itself as a leading voice in human rights in the country. The Commission should make it a priority to be, and to be perceived, as independent of the Government, and be more proactive in investigating alleged violations and in public advocacy. 60. An institutional development grant could improve the capacity of the Human Rights Commission, provided that it has clear benchmarks and is implemented in an incremental and phased manner. The grant should also gradually promote the emergence of an independent Commission by attaching disbursement to transparent appointments, security of tenure of commissioners and issuance of public reports on key human rights issues. F. Gender awareness programmes 61. The Government of South Sudan has taken some steps towards addressing discrimination and violence against women, including measures to support girls’ education and to ensure greater participation of women in Government. Much remains to be done, notably in human rights education and awareness-raising. With an 80 per cent illiteracy rate, most women and girls have very little knowledge of their rights. Programmes to educate people about the legal rights of women and girls will be essential to overcome years of entrenched discriminatory practices against women. The Government needs to demonstrate further its commitment to the promotion and protection of women’s rights by ratifying relevant treaties and conventions on women’s rights, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. V. Conclusion and recommendations 62. Since it declared its independence on 9 July 2011, South Sudan has made important efforts to lay down the foundations of a new country and to establish the institutions necessary to respond to the needs of its population. In the area of human rights, progress has been made at the institutional and legislative levels. 63. Tremendous challenges, however, remain to ensure that the people of South Sudan live in a country that fully respects their human rights. These challenges concern the establishment of an adequate legal framework, the establishment and/or strengthening of institutions and the creation of an environment conducive to the promotion and protection of human rights. While the national authorities at the highest level have emphasized their commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, critical gaps are yet to be addressed. 64. While the primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights lies with the Government of South Sudan, OHCHR urges the international community to assist national actors in implementing the following recommendations: (a) To define a clear human rights strategy by developing a comprehensive national human rights plan of action, including objectives, indicators, lines of responsibility and budgetary requirements; 13