A/HRC/27/13 children in armed conflict, which had been sent to Parliament for completion of the formalities of accession. With regard to the Rome Statute, the Government had endorsed the Declaration of the African Union. 18. A number of legal initiatives had been introduced to ensure the adequate representation and participation of women in State institutions. Consequently, women were extensively represented and participated in the Government and in the Senate. . 19. Public spending on social sectors had been increased. 20. In addition, measures had been taken with regard to urbanization, housing, electricity and sanitation, including the construction of roads to improve access to rural areas and the construction of over 15,000 dwellings nationwide. 21. Measures had also been taken to improve health, in particular with regard to maternal and child mortality in rural areas, by ensuring that 90 per cent of births were assisted by midwives.. The goal of such measures was to reduce maternal mortality by 50 per cent by 2015, and by 80 per cent by 2020. 22. Moreover, a number of measures had been introduced to combat AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as malaria. 23. In connection with education, the national educational system had been reformed at various levels through the adaptation of curricula and textbooks. 24. The Ministry of the Interior was taking action to introduce more flexible criteria for the granting of permits to the numerous associations and non-governmental organizations that operated in Equatorial Guinea. Restrictions on the media had been reduced, and the fact that numerous magazines and publications flourished in the country was evidence that no censorship was imposed. 25. As a prelude to the abolition of the death penalty, the Government had adopted a Decree No. 426/2.014, declaring a temporary moratorium. 26. The Government would shortly restructure the Centre for Human Rights with a view to revitalizing it. 27. Many of the recommendations that Equatorial Guinea had not fully accepted in the past had been addressed. Those in respect of which a decision remained pending would be dealt with promptly, in order to maintain the honest and transparent dialogue between Equatorial Guinea and the United Nations system through the UPR process. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 28. During the interactive dialogue, 76 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of the present report. 29. Sweden expressed concern at the lack of progress in implementing the recommendations from 2009 and at high poverty and low human development indicators, despite the high per capita income in Equatorial Guinea. 30. Switzerland expressed appreciation for the acceptance by Equatorial Guinea of all of the recommendations that it had made during the previous UPR, and encouraged Equatorial Guinea to continue its efforts to implement them. 31. Thailand noted the efforts made by Equatorial Guinea to combat human trafficking, to reduce maternal and infant mortality and to accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the steps taken towards bringing the national human rights institution into line with the Paris 5