A/HRC/39/15 production and catchment plants and extending distribution networks in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. A human resources development plan for the health sector had been drawn up in 2013 with the aim of remedying the shortage of qualified professionals, estimated at 27,753 people, by 2018. 21. The enjoyment of the right to education had progressed considerably since 2013. Emphasis had been placed on providing free primary education by doing away with fees to boost enrolment rates, supporting needy families through the distribution of basic textbooks and clustering of school infrastructure in both rural and urban areas. 22. The school enrolment rate for girls had been promoted through awareness-raising campaigns and incentives, the awarding of scholarships and instructional kits to girls, the provision of snacks and the establishment of school cafeterias in priority education zones, the construction of separate latrines and a range of measures for combating gender-based violence in schools and child marriage. 23. Efforts to reduce poverty and improve the population’s standard of living had taken the form of social safety net projects, labour-intensive public works, the Participatory National Development Programme and the second grass-roots poverty reduction subprogramme. 24. Efforts to reduce poverty and improve the standard of living, at a time of worsening economic constraints, had taken the form of assistance for chronically poor households, support for income-generating activities in various fields such as agriculture, the promotion of decent work and ongoing large-scale structural projects. 25. The delegation drew attention to the practical implementation of the three-year emergency growth and employment plan for the period 2014–2017. 26. Attention continued to be paid to the specific concerns of certain population groups with a view to achieving equality in practice. Electoral lists were required to take account of gender. Education incentives for underprivileged groups, as well as initiatives to counter stereotypes and end harmful practices and violence, had also been a focus of government efforts to enable target groups, namely underprivileged indigenous persons, women and persons with disabilities, to fully realize their potential. 27. In order to end discrimination against women and promote gender equality, the National Gender Policy Paper had been adopted in 2014, followed by a multisectoral implementation plan. 28. Cameroon had continued to implement its policy for the integration of persons with disabilities at the strategic and operational levels. The National Policy Paper on the Protection and Promotion of Persons with Disabilities and its related action plan for 2017– 2021 had been updated. 29. Structural measures had been taken to deliver inclusive education and promote the empowerment and social and occupational integration of persons with disabilities. An interministerial committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of programmes and projects involving indigenous persons had been established in 2013 to coordinate initiatives designed for their benefit. 30. As an investment in the future, the preservation of human capital formed the background of efforts to protect children through initiatives to recognize their legal personality by streamlining the birth registration process, to protect them against violence, to address the situation of street children and to care for orphans and vulnerable children. 31. Improvement of detention conditions was the leitmotif of efforts to realize the rights of detainees not only by enhancing prison infrastructure and facilities but also by improving health and nutrition, for which budgetary allocations had been significantly increased. 32. Efforts to combat torture in prisons had centred on building the capacity of prison staff, monitoring and the imposition of sanctions. The choice of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms as the national torture preventive mechanism was consistent with the goal of preserving the dignity of detainees. 4 GE.18-11388