A/HRC/37/10 53. The Maldives welcomed the Government Action Programme 2016–2021, extension of the free education policy to higher education, steps towards universal access to drinking water and adoption of the Children’s Code, the national policy to protect children and the national action plan incorporating the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 54. Mali congratulated Benin for the adoption of the Children’s Code and the Information and Communication Code, the creation of the Human Rights Commission, the programmes of the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment, the facilitation of access to credit and the microcredit programmes for the poorest people, the national fund to promote youth employment and the establishment of a national corps of young volunteers to boost development. It encouraged the international community to support the efforts of Benin. 55. Mauritania commended Benin for the strengthening of its legal framework for the promotion and protection of human rights, and for progress made towards employment of young people, better access to basic social services and health care, and improving the quality of health-care services. 56. Mauritius congratulated Benin for the adoption of its Government Action Programme 2016–2021, the Children’s Code and the child protection policy and related action plan. It welcomed measures to improve access to drinking water, health services and housing, provide free higher education and support the economic empowerment of women and the nationwide birth registration campaign. 57. Mexico acknowledged the progress of Benin in the area of freedoms of expression and opinion, and measures to improve access to justice and the prison system. Mexico welcomed the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the approval of the Code of Persons and Family and a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. 58. Montenegro welcomed the adoption of the action plan against racial discrimination and the law on the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, but noted the concerns of the Committee on the Rights of the Child concerning the exclusion of children with disabilities. It regretted that a new Criminal Code abolishing the death penalty had not yet been adopted. 59. Morocco commended the adoption of the Children’s Code and a national policy to protect children, the establishment of standards applicable to children’s shelters and protection centres and the development of an action plan to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. It welcomed the creation of the Human Rights Commission and provisions in the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure to criminalize torture. 60. The delegation of Benin thanked the Member States for the recommendations made and gave assurances that they would be taken into account. 61. On the question of the suspension, qualified as arbitrary, of certain media outlets, the delegation referred to the recent adoption of an Information Code and the need to observe the rule of law; it also referred to the Audiovisual and Telecommunications Authority, an independent body established under the Constitution. 62. The delegation also stressed that the security forces had not used excessive force while policing recent demonstrations. It indicated that the Government would have applied sanctions in the event of police abuse. 63. With regard to the recommendation to register the births of all citizens, a registration mechanism for registering the Beninese population had been set up to ensure that every citizen was provided with biometric and digital civil-status records so that they could assert their civil, economic, social and political rights. 64. As for strengthening the judicial system, the process of providing resources and recruiting 118 young trainee judges, in addition to the 150 members of the judiciary already employed, continued. GE.17-23482 7