A/HRC/24/10 17. Infant and under-5 mortality rates, which had stood at 67 and 94 per 1,000 live births in 2006, had declined. For 2012, the outcome of the current survey on the subject was awaited. 18. Regional hospitals had been built and others were planned. 19. The number of Ministry of Health staff was increasing steadily, and had risen from 509 in 1999 to 2,353 in 2012. The health budget currently accounted for 14 per cent of the total State budget, health thus representing a significant portion of the national budget. 20. Concerning the right to education, the education policy 2010–2019 had made the quality of education a central concern of the 10-year strategy. 21. In the area of governance and sustainable development, Djibouti was currently in the process of redrafting anti-corruption legislation, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In connection with that reform, Djibouti was under review and reviewing at the same time. 22. Djibouti was also engaged in comprehensive civil service reform to make it more efficient. 23. Following the statement made by the head of the delegation, the Minister for the Advancement of Women said that Djibouti had a national gender policy for the period 2011–2021, which had been enacted as legislation. Its main purpose was to promote equity and gender equality, in accordance with regional and international commitments relating to the economic, social and cultural rights of women. 24. In cooperation with various technical departments such as the department of agriculture and development partners, many families had attended courses in agriculture, poultry farming and fishing, with a special focus on women’s role. 25. With regard to the protection of women’s physical integrity and the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), at the initiative of the Ministry for the Advancement of Women legislation had been promulgated in 2009 which enabled associations working to combat FGM to bring a claim for damages on behalf of victims unable to lodge a complaint. 26. Advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns in recent years had led to a considerable reduction in FGM among girls and a gradual decline in its most serious form, infibulation, with rates dropping from 98 to 73 per cent. 27. Two key institutional measures had been taken in regard to children’s rights, namely the adoption and implementation of the national policy on comprehensive childhood development in 2008, and the adoption of a National Strategic Action Plan for Children in 2010. 28. When it came to the protection of vulnerable children, a programme launched in 2007 had provided assistance to nearly 1,000 children in the form of school aid, free transport, food for persons living with AIDS and income-generating activities for the parents. 29. Concerning the right to education, the Government ensured respect for the right to education for all, and the Ministry had paid particular attention to the question of equality in education, as shown by measures to reduce gender gaps at school and combat school dropout, especially among girls. Those efforts had borne fruit, with the male/female ratio in primary schools currently standing at 0.98 per cent. 30. With regard to socioeconomic changes, Djibouti had undertaken ambitious programmes and reforms to combat poverty and economic hardship, notwithstanding its arid climate. The country’s agricultural potential was being developed by setting up miniGE.13-15502 5