A/HRC/44/23 15. The Eritrean authorities maintained their opposition to the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. Since March 2019, the Special Rapporteur’s various requests to meet with Eritrean officials have gone unanswered. 16. The engagement of Eritrea with OHCHR has not progressed. In March 2019, OHCHR offered to assist the Government in the implementation of the universal periodic review recommendations Eritrea had accepted in January 2019. In a letter dated 6 November 2019, OHCHR also offered technical assistance in three priority areas identified by the Government, namely, strengthening the judiciary, improving the human rights of persons with disabilities and improving the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation. At the time of writing, the Eritrean authorities have yet to respond. 17. Eritrea has engaged with other human rights mechanisms. In February 2020, Eritrea participated in the seventy-fifth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, during which the Committee considered the State’s sixth periodic report on its implementation of the Convention (CEDAW/C/ERI/6) and adopted concluding observations thereon (CEDAW/C/ERI/CO/6). Also in February, Eritrea participated in the forty-third session of the Human Rights Council, in Geneva. 18. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government of Eritrea to increase its cooperation with OHCHR and with United Nations human rights mechanisms and special procedure mandate holders. She notes that the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association requested a country visit on 26 March 2020 and is awaiting a response. 19. The Special Rapporteur also encourages the Government to strengthen its cooperation with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and invite the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa to conduct a country visit. Increased cooperation with and access for international and regional human rights bodies and mechanisms would represent a concrete sign of the commitment of Eritrea to improving the human rights situation. V. Benchmarks for progress in improving the situation of human rights 20. During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur has continued to monitor the five benchmarks for progress in human rights and related indicators set out in her previous report (A/HRC/41/53, paras. 78–82). These benchmarks represent minimum human rights standards required to address the human rights concerns identified by the Special Rapporteur, and are aimed at assisting the Government in developing its human rights agenda. As described in the present section, the Special Rapporteur has seen no evidence of a tangible improvement in the human situation in the country. She remains deeply concerned by widespread human rights violations, in particular regarding the civil and political rights of Eritreans. 21. On 14 January 2020, the Special Rapporteur sent a letter requesting input from the Eritrean authorities on the progress made in relation to the benchmarks, but received no response. She regrets that despite her attempts to engage in constructive dialogue with the Eritrean authorities, they have taken no action in relation to the issues raised in the present report. A. Benchmark 1: improvement in the promotion of the rule of law and strengthening of national justice and law enforcement institutions 22. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the initial efforts undertaken by the Government of Eritrea to reform its justice system and police force. She takes note of its efforts to promote the efficiency of its court system by digitizing the courts’ activities (A/HRC/41/14, para. 20). She also welcomes the partnership framework formalized in July 2019 between the Government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, aimed at crime prevention and criminal justice reform, the strengthening of the administration of justice and prison reform, and combating transnational crime. 5