A/HRC/39/15 10. The independence and autonomy of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms had been strengthened, particularly through the consolidation of human and financial resources. These positive developments would enable the National Commission to better fulfil its mission. 11. Further improvements had been made to the human rights framework and the conditions in which they were exercised. Emphasis had been placed on combating impunity and training law enforcement personnel. 12. In cooperation with the public authorities, the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, civil society organizations and other stakeholders had held seminars and workshops on a regular basis to look into human rights issues, provide training and raise public awareness. 13. Human rights training for law enforcement officials had taken place on an ongoing basis. For example, the Office of Counter-Terrorism and OHCHR, in collaboration with the Government, were running a project whose phases I and II had ended in March/April 2018. The project consisted in providing law enforcement officials with capacity-building and training in the promotion and protection of human rights and respect for the law in the context of counter-terrorism. 14. Efforts to end impunity for law enforcement personnel had progressed considerably since 2013. In 2016, 175 proceedings had been initiated against law enforcement personnel and 14 convictions had been handed down by the military court in connection with the offences of endangering life or causing physical or mental harm. The penalties imposed were recorded in the annual report of the Ministry of Justice on the situation of human rights in Cameroon. 15. The adoption of two new laws on electronic communications and audiovisual activities had facilitated the exercise of the freedoms of expression and communication. Capacity-building sessions had been held to ensure that media professionals adhered to ethics rules. 16. Since the submission of its report, Cameroon had seen developments with the establishment, in February 2018, of the Constitutional Council. The Council had adjudicated disputes in connection with the senatorial elections of 25 March 2018, which had led to the election, for a five-year term, of the senators of the second Senate in the history of the Cameroonian parliament. 17. President Paul Biya and the Government had made every effort to advance economic, social and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights. School enrolment figures had been rising steadily, while discussions on the establishment of a mechanism to ensure full coverage were ongoing. The goal was to improve the population’s health, especially that of children, adolescents, women, persons living with HIV/AIDS and lowincome individuals, by increasing the availability of health-care services and health practitioners. 18. A national multisectoral programme to reduce maternal, neonatal and infant and child mortality for the period 2014–2018 had been developed, along with several action plans, in particular with regard to mother and child health. The aim of the national multisectoral strategic plan to reduce maternal, neonatal and child mortality for the period 2014–2020 was to reduce maternal mortality. 19. Under the national strategic plan against HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections for the period 2014–2017, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission through option B+ had begun in 2014. With support from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), capacity-building for outreach workers on motherto-child transmission, voluntary screening and the referral of directly concerned pregnant women living in rural communities to prenatal and mother-to-child transmission prevention services had contributed to the optimization of interventions in rural areas; overall results were satisfactory. 20. In order to enhance the enjoyment of the right to health, a number of projects had focused on increasing the supply of drinking water by building and rehabilitating water GE.18-11388 3

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