A/HRC/18/7 Cooperation and Development. The UNDP Human Development Report 2009 ranked Seychelles in 57th place in terms of the human development index. 9. Seychelles noted that tourism and fisheries were its economic pillars, absorbing 40 per cent of the workforce and generating over 90 per cent of foreign exchange earnings. Seychelles was classified as an upper-middle-income country by World Bank standards. While conventional poverty lines did not apply, pockets of relative poverty existed in certain population segments. 10. 2003 marked a turning point in the development policy of Seychelles. While the first Macro-Economic Reform Programme, designed to curb public deficit and external debt, had been implemented, the high dependency on tourism earnings and energy imports, the global economic slow-down and the international food and oil crisis exacerbated economic imbalances, structural vulnerabilities and fragility. 11. The delegation emphasized that piracy put enormous pressure on the surveillance and patrol capacities of Seychelles and its national legal, judicial, investigation and detention systems, with an estimated 4 per cent impact on gross domestic product in 2009. 12. Seychelles indicated that its unemployment rate was around 2.3 per cent, i.e. virtual full employment. Human-resource shortage and lack of skilled labour were structural constraints that had an impact on private and public sector performance. 13. The Constitution was the supreme law and any other law found to be consistent with it was void. It provided for the separation and independence of executive, legislative and judiciary powers. Seychelles noted that it had a mixed legal system based on English and French legal traditions. The legal system was among the world’s smallest, with nine judges and four magistrates. The judiciary comprised the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, the Magistrates’ Court and subordinate courts or tribunals. It was independent and subject only to the Constitution and other laws. Recognizing the urgent need to address the backlog of cases, the Judiciary Strategic Plan 2010-2014 had been launched. 14. The Executive comprised the President, the Vice-President, the Cabinet and the Attorney General. Members were appointed by the President with the National Assembly’s approval. The Cabinet was composed of nine members, including two women. Legislative power was vested in a unicameral parliament - the 34-member National Assembly, which included eight women. 15. The death penalty was abolished in 1995. The delegation indicated that the Family Violence (Protection of Victims) Act 2000 sought to protect victims of family violence and imposed penalties for the breach of protection orders of courts/tribunals. It noted that the 1996 amendment to articles 130-153 of the Penal Code made it easier to prosecute sexual offenders and allowed for prosecution for rape within marriage or relationships. 16. The Employment Act of Seychelles provided for the prevention of and redress against discrimination in employment and established a national minimum wage that also applied to foreign workers. 17. Seychelles noted that corporal punishment was prohibited in schools. The 1998 amendment of the Children Act had established a family tribunal for matters of custody, care and maintenance of children. Children’s wishes and feelings were factors courts and tribunals were required to take into account. 18. The Protection of Human Rights Act 2009 established the National Human Rights Commission to secure better protection and promotion of human rights. The 2010 Elections Advisory Board advised and assisted the Electoral Commissioner in performing his functions. 4