A/HRC/41/21 63. In August 2018, the Ministry of the Interior in Colombia adopted the “protocol for the coordination of actions to respect and guarantee peaceful protest”, which incorporated the OHCHR recommendation to identify mechanisms to guarantee the exercise of fundamental rights related to social protest. Similarly, the National Police in Guatemala developed three protocols on demonstrations, road blockages and evictions, with the support of OHCHR Guatemala. Jointly with the International Committee of the Red Cross and a presidential human rights coordinating body, 21 OHCHR held four workshops for police officers, to improve these documents and develop a single protocol on the use of force. This relates directly to the prevention of violence and deaths: target 16.1. 64. Also in Guatemala, OHCHR supported the access policy for indigenous people in the Office of the Attorney General. OHCHR provided technical assistance and advice to the Secretariat of Indigenous Peoples within the Supreme Court, and promoted training processes on the rights of indigenous peoples for staff of government institutions that have mandates concerning human rights and the justice system. In this context, OHCHR also provided training to some 31 judges, prosecutors and public defenders on indigenous peoples’ rights under the auspices of the School of Judicial Studies. Together with the indigenous peoples secretariat of the judiciary, it organized four regional meetings to foster coordination between the indigenous and ordinary justice systems. 65. In 2018, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova approved the National Human Rights Action Plan and established the Permanent Human Rights Secretariat to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Action Plan. The Action Plan is based on the outcome of the 2016 universal periodic review and on several treaty body and special procedure recommendations issued in 2017. Staff of the Directorate for Permanent Secretariats, which hosts the Permanent Human Rights Secretariat and other human rightsrelated bodies under the State Chancellery, were trained by OHCHR in the area of human rights monitoring mechanisms and implementation of their recommendations. 66. A number of countries adopted important legislative changes to prevent torture and ill-treatment. In Georgia, Parliament amended existing legislation, which included prescribing severe punishments for crimes of torture or inhuman treatment and repealing the statute of limitations for those crimes, and identifying procedural guarantees for detained individuals. It also addressed gaps in legislation and by-laws which had enabled law enforcement agencies to act arbitrarily and had thereby increased the potential risk of ill-treatment. 67. Albania has pursued crucial reforms in its efforts to ensure stable institutions, and a functional democracy that upholds the rule of law and guarantees the respect of human rights. The most significant reforms of the Government of Albania since 2016 are related to reorganization of the justice system and the functionality of the rule of law, which are also key conditions for the country’s accession to the European Union. UNDP works with the Government of Albania, Parliament, independent national institutions and local governments to improve the quality of governance for sustainable development. For UNDP, the 2030 Agenda is fully aligned with the key priorities for accession to the European Union, and in particular with Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. 22 E. Combating gender discrimination, inequalities and violence Addressing gender discrimination through policy change 68. The 2030 Agenda includes a particular focus on achieving gender equality, including through Goal 5. Progress was made by a number of countries in approving legislation and policies to combat discrimination on the basis of gender. For instance, in 2017, gender equality laws were approved in the Republic of Moldova, the United Republic 21 22 Comisión Presidencial Coordinadora de la Política del Ejecutivo en materia de Derechos Humanos. See www.al.undp.org/content/albania/en/home/democratic-governance-and-peacebuilding.html. 13