A/HRC/42/43/Add.2 81. The Independent Expert welcomes the establishment of the National Council for Older Persons. She stresses the importance of having a dedicated national public mechanism or structure that is mandated to coordinate services for older persons and ensure the implementation of national policies and laws. Such a mechanism for older persons, be it ministerial, interministerial or institutionally separate, would greatly facilitate the implementation of the policy on older persons, the strategy for its implementation and the Law on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Older Persons. 82. The Independent Expert encourages Mozambique to ratify all human rights treaties to which it is not yet party, notably the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Older Persons and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights and its Optional Protocol. She further encourages the Government to ensure that national legislation is in line with the obligations of Mozambique under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 83. The Independent Expert urges the Government to ensure that the National Commission on Human Rights enjoys full independence and has the necessary resources to carry out its mandate in full compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights. She also notes that it is essential for the independence of the Ombudsman that his Office be equipped with a budget that is sufficient to carry out the functions as set out by the law. 84. On the basis of these overall conclusions and the observations contained in the present report, the Independent Expert makes the following recommendations with regard to specific areas and actors. B. Recommendations to the Government Older persons in post-disaster settings 85. Noting that older persons are disproportionally affected and particularly vulnerable to abuse, maltreatment and violence in such situations, the Independent Expert emphasizes the need to ensure inclusion, targeting and prioritization of older persons in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts, in compliance with humanitarian and human rights principles. 86. The Independent Expert calls on the Government to make the detection of and protection from abuse and violence, including sexual violence and rape, in postdisaster settings an absolute priority, ensure that recovery programmes address the security concerns faced by older persons and provide for age-sensitive shelter areas. 87. She emphasizes that the exclusion of older persons can result from inadequate assistance, such as unsuitable food items or lack of medication for chronic diseases. She urges the Government to ensure that food security for older persons is made a priority in recovery efforts. 88. The Independent Expert further urges the Government to ensure that older persons are prioritized in resettlement programmes and that the relocation or resettlement of older persons does not disrupt their enjoyment of their human rights. She stresses the need to ensure that new housing is accessible and that older persons are included in livelihood recovery, income-generation, microcredit and capacitybuilding programmes. She also notes that the rights of older persons, in particular single or widowed older women, whose property and housing may have been destroyed, require specific protection. The Government needs to ensure that information and assistance on accessing reconstruction and recovery programmes, family tracking and reunification, and obtaining replacement documentation, including identification and property titles, is accessible for older persons, including older women, taking into account the low literacy rates. Officials working on recovery 14