A/HRC/34/4 Nigeria. Following a decision taken in October 2016 by the Council of Ministers, appointments would be made to the National Committee on the Rights of the Child. 44. Regarding the right to education, the imbalance in school enrolment between girls and boys and the dropout and repetition rates had all decreased. Programmes to support girls in technical education had led to scholarships being awarded to female students in scientific and technical subjects. The cooperation of the traditional customary authorities had enabled girls to be removed from convents and enrolled in school. 45. Between 2011 and 2015, the poverty rate fell from 58 per cent to 51 per cent, partly as a result of the national programme for sustainable development. Efforts continued to improve access to water, including on farms. In the mining sector, infringements of safety regulations were subject to sanctions and companies were supporting the economic development of mining areas in line with the mining governance programme funded by the World Bank. 46. Despite these advances, challenges remained. However, Togo was still committed to making significant and progressive improvements in the area of human rights and sought assistance from partners in pursuing its priorities, in particular birth registration, health in prisons and the implementation of social programmes for which it needed financial support. 47. The delegation thanked those countries that had contributed to improving human rights in Togo, as well as the international organizations that had supported it throughout the review process, in particular the International Organization of la Francophonie. Lastly, Togo invited its technical and financial partners to continue to support the Government’s initiatives in the areas of human rights and the well-being of the population. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 48. During the interactive dialogue, 78 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue can be found in section II of the present report. 49. Burundi congratulated Togo on the elections held in 2015. It welcomed the commitment to improve the human rights situation, by organizing awareness-raising and training sessions on human rights for different State officials, and the measures taken to improve the judicial system. 50. Canada complimented Togo on the abolition of the death penalty and the criminalization of torture. It welcomed the efforts to improve detention conditions by reducing overcrowding in prisons and separating incarcerated men from incarcerated women and children. 51. The Central African Republic noted that youth continued to suffer abuse despite the efforts made to eradicate that practice. It wished full success to Togo and called on the international community to support Togo in the consolidation of democracy and in strengthening the rule of law. 52. Chile noted the ratification of several international human rights instruments and the efforts made to strengthen the normative framework and to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms. 53. China commended Togo for its efforts to strengthen infrastructure and enhance the level of public services in the health, education and employment sectors. It noted the adoption of the Criminal Code and the Individuals and Family Code and the implementation of a strategy to combat sexual violence. It hoped that the international community would provide Togo with the necessary technical assistance. GE.16-23163 7