A/HRC/41/2 adopting measures preventing violence against them, but also by establishing institutions and special units, and training judges, prosecutors, police, and other relevant personnel in pursuit of the implementation of the Law on the Elimination of the Violence against Women. 442. Afghanistan acknowledged that the implementation of laws has not been optimal, largely due to ongoing conflict and lack of access to legal institutions in conflict zones. However, the Government was committed to facilitating the empowerment of women and addressing the cases of violence against women, including in the areas recently cleared from the insurgents. 443. On recommendations regarding protection of children and child marriage, Afghanistan informed that its President issued an executive order enforcing the Child Protection Law, which defined the marriage age at 18 years old, as recommended in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Recruitment of children in the military forces and armed groups has been a challenging issue, while Afghanistan will keep working towards ensuring safe and prosperous future for children. 444. Afghanistan accepted recommendations calling on them to facilitate access to education and healthcare. Afghanistan believed that there is always a place for improvement in these fields and it continued to invest in improving the education system, ensure access to education for all and develop programmes to facilitate access to healthcare. In the 2019 World Health Assembly, the Minister of Health of Afghanistan, together with WHO and other partner States, agreed on new and improved health services package accessible to every citizen, including the IDPs and returnees. 445. On the 22 recommendations that were noted, the head of delegation stated that, concerning accession to international human rights instruments, Afghanistan was among the leading Member States with ratification of seven core international human rights conventions and three optional protocols, demonstrating their commitment to promoting and protecting human rights. In order to eliminate the gap between international human rights standards and their implementation on the domestic level, the Government of Afghanistan was willing to focus on its national legislation prior to considering the accession to other human rights instruments. On the second category of recommendations regarding abolition of the death penalty and reduction of crimes carrying capital punishment, he highlighted that the new Penal Code has largely decreased the application of the death penalty. In 2018, within the Office of the Attorney General, a Special Committee that monitors reports of death penalty was established. Since its establishment, the Committee reviewed 80 cases of possible death penalty, and as a result, the Committee recommended 78 cases to be replaced with long-term imprisonment. Furthermore, the President of Afghanistan assigned another Committee under the leadership of the Deputy Attorney General to review and assess all death penalty sentences and provide specific recommendations on each case. After nearly one year of assessment, the Committee submitted its recommendations for the majority of cases. The proposals were accepted by the President, and they are currently being implemented. 446. On the partially noted recommendation, Afghanistan reported that it accepted the call for commuting of “all existing death sentences for persons below 18 years of age at the time of the commission of the crime”, however, the second part of the recommendation on considering “immediate moratorium on execution as a first step towards the abolition of the death sentence…” was an undertaking that required more time and further consultations. 447. The head of delegation reiterated the commitment of the Government to fully engage in close cooperation with relevant treaty bodies, to advance and review the recommendations where appropriate. Afghanistan valued the support of the international 76