A/HRC/13/9 9. Côte d’Ivoire had made commitments at the subregional level (Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)) and the regional level (African Union), and in the framework of the International Organization of la Francophonie, and had ensured it had the resources needed to fulfil its international human rights obligations. 10. Under the Ivorian legal system, the separation of powers was constitutionally guaranteed and judicial independence recognized. The judiciary had undergone a series of reforms to improve its operation. The Ivorian political system of protection was a combination of classical and modern mechanisms. Parliament’s role as overall guarantor of freedoms had been consolidated through the effective exercise of its legislative and executive oversight functions. 11. The executive had created special ministries to promote human rights, namely the Ministry to Combat AIDS, the Ministry for Solidarity and War Victims, the Ministry of the Family, Women and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. Additional mechanisms had recently been created, such as the Office of the Ombudsman and the National Human Rights Commission. Political parties, the media, NGOs (over 200 human rights organizations) and trade unions were other actors helping to protect and promote human rights. 12. With regard to fair trial, the Government had taken steps to strengthen the independence of the judiciary. As to prison conditions, overcrowding and the frequency of escapes had prompted the Government to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure so that first-time offenders were no longer placed in pretrial detention and the periods of pretrial detention were reduced. 13. In order to guarantee the right of everyone to take part in public life, the Government had made special arrangements to enable every Ivorian, free of charge, to obtain a birth certificate and a national identity card, and to be registered on the electoral rolls. The President had authorized all the signatories to the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement to stand in the next presidential elections. 14. Côte d’Ivoire had taken steps to curb human rights violations attributable to the defence and security forces and had instituted proceedings against those concerned. The delegation confirmed that the amnesty laws and the presidential pardons granted in the course of political negotiations did not apply to the perpetrators of serious human rights violations. Once the crisis was over, the Ivorian State intended to take a proactive approach to consolidating the rule of law. 15. The Ivorian State was continually investing in economic, social and cultural rights. The priority given to education and training was illustrated by its work on educational infrastructure, the registration of schools in the regions and the creation of an educational system commensurate with the resources available. 16. In the area of health, Côte d’Ivoire had adopted a National Health Development Plan for 2009–2013. Health programmes and projects for the major transmissible and nontransmissible diseases had been introduced. 17. Government action on the environment included the creation of a Ministry of the Environment and a Ministry of Urban Waste Management, and the establishment of monitoring and research mechanisms. 18. Sectoral rights were a particular concern of the Ivorian State. Women received special protection: the law prohibited not only all forms of sex discrimination in access to employment but also all forms of violence against women, including female genital mutilation. In addition, a directorate of the Ministry of the Family, Women and Social Affairs had been set up in 2006 to monitor sexual equity and equality and other similar measures. 4 GE.10-10140