A/HRC/17/18 8. The promotion and protection of human rights was an important component of the agenda of the Paraguayan State. Paraguay was party to the core international human rights instruments and was in full compliance with its reporting obligations to the treaty bodies. 9. At the institutional level, the Vice-Ministry for Justice and Human Rights had been established in March 2009, and human rights offices had been incorporated into several branches of the Executive, including the most recent one in the Supreme Court of the Military Justice (November 2010). Moreover, in June 2009 a human rights network at the executive level had been set up to articulate policies, plans and programmes aimed at promoting and protecting human rights. The network had prepared a plan of action 20102011, which expresses the determination of the administration to comply with its international obligations. The network was composed of several public agencies, supported by the international technical cooperation, and received the statements of position of civil society organizations, considered key actors in building democratic institutions. 10. Similarly, the Inter-Agency Executive Commission for the compliance of International Rulings had been set-up, under the coordination of the Prosecutor General. The Commission would ensure compliance with the rulings rendered against Paraguay by international courts and the recommendations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. 11. In reference to access to justice, the delegation mentioned the Judicial Branch Strategic Plan aimed at consolidating the independence, respect, prestige, reliability and transparency of the judiciary. The plan sought to integrate qualified and efficient judges into the courts to facilitate timely and indiscriminate access to justice and legal certainty. Also, criminal procedures had changed from the inquisitorial system to the adversarial system, which was considered more effective with regard to respect for freedom, personal security and the observance of due process. 12. Similarly, prison reform was a priority. The penitentiary regime dated from the 1970s and had become outdated. Thus, the Executive had decided to launch a comprehensive reform. Congress had also created a commission for the study of the system and drafted a bill to adopt a new code of penal execution inspired by the new internationally accepted doctrines. 13. Public safety was also of concern to the Government. The Ministry of Interior had concluded the elaboration of the Concept Paper for a National Policy on Public Safety. Its main elements were: citizen participation, human rights, gender violence, impunity and communication. The paper had been subject to extensive consultations with scholars and political and social organizations. 14. Regarding the right to work, the Government had signed the National Pact for Decent Work with the main workers and employers organizations. The agreement was rooted in a public policy based on tripartite social dialogue, which had resulted in the absence of strikes in almost three years since the beginning of its implementation. 15. For its part, the Economic Stimulus Plan was intended to cushion the social impact of the global economic crisis and focused on the generation of temporary employment through public works infrastructure, which, for better coverage, was executed in a decentralized manner through the municipalities and governorates, with input from the Central Government. Thanks to that and other policies, poverty had been reduced by 3 per cent in 2010. 16. Under the right to health, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare had launched the Plan for Quality of Life and Health Equity, to lessen and eventually eliminate health disparities. Primary health care was led by family health units, assigned to a particular territorial division and consisting of: a physician, a nurse or midwife, a nurse 4