A/HRC/36/11 families’ purchase of their first property. The properties financed under the programme complied with sanitation, safety and accessibility guidelines. 9. Brazil considered that popular participation was one of the pillars of democracy and the rule of law. That was the logic underlying the tradition of thematic conferences promoting participation in public policies. Brazil had held its twelfth National Conference on Human Rights in 2016, in addition to a series of other sectoral conferences. 10. Following a voluntary commitment made in the first cycle of the universal periodic review, the use of social indicators had allowed better monitoring and evaluation of public policies, becoming a concrete tool for the progressive realization of human rights, through the National System of Human Rights Indicators. In addition, the Government remained committed to the implementation of the third National Human Rights Plan, in force since 2009. In 2013, the National Observatory for Human Rights had been launched. It made information about the implementation of the National Human Rights Plan available for monitoring, by both government agencies and civil society, through an online platform. 11. Brazil reiterated its commitment at the highest level to fighting discrimination of any kind. In that regard, 20 per cent of vacancies in civil service examinations at the federal level were reserved for Afro-Brazilians. In universities and technical schools, 50 per cent of vacancies were allocated to students from public secondary schools, with the distribution of vacancies between Afro-Brazilians and indigenous people based on the proportion of such groups in each community. The Living Youth programme included preventive actions that promoted a sense of belonging and autonomy, besides countering violence. An affirmative action programme concerning members of the judiciary had also been proposed. 12. The delegation reiterated its condemnation of violence against indigenous peoples. It emphasized that the Integrated Plan for the Implementation of the National Policy for the Territorial and Environmental Management of Indigenous Lands sought to ensure indigenous occupation and management of indigenous peoples’ lands. There were 462 indigenous lands already demarcated, besides other ongoing demarcation processes. The Government of Brazil was also committed to conducting consultations, in accordance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169). The São Luiz hydroelectric project on the Tapajós river was a case in point. 13. With regard to public safety and the justice system, in addition to strengthening long-term preventive measures, such as education, income distribution and incomegeneration programmes, Brazil was committed to ensuring that the fight against crime was carried out with respect for human rights, as reflected in the National Security Plan. Brazil had invested in training police forces, guaranteeing access to justice, strengthening public defenders, and fighting impunity in cases of excessive use of force. It was also worth mentioning initiatives by both the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the police forces, aimed at prioritizing investigation as opposed to repression. 14. In addition to cooperating with the states of Brazil to expand prison vacancies as a way to fight overcrowding, the Federal Government had encouraged alternative penalties for minor offences, as a way of reducing the incarceration rates. In addition, special task forces, in coordination with the Public Defender’s Office, had been established to assess the situation of prisoners willing to return to family life. The Custody Hearings Promotion Programme had led to a 50 per cent reduction in provisional detentions. 15. In 2013, in compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Brazil had established the National System to Prevent and Fight Torture, which comprised an independent body composed of 11 experts, with legal competence to inspect places of detention. The relevant committee had already carried out unannounced visits to more than 50 places of detention in 11 states. 16. The Government of Brazil had regulated the Programme for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, which was currently handling about 400 cases. In addition to immediate protection of their physical integrity, the programme sought to mobilize public 3