A/HRC/17/16 Additionally, it indicated that in 2010 the Government had held discussions with national stakeholders both on the National Human Rights Action Plan and the appointment of members to the National Commission on Human Rights. Mozambique hoped that the Plan would be adopted very soon and that the Commission would become operational in the near future. 9. Mozambique observed that it is a party to most international and regional human rights instruments. However, as ratification is a process, the country has not yet ratified all relevant instruments. Nevertheless, in the case of a significant number, a process with a view to acceding to these instruments exists. Mozambique is also in the process of preparing reports for the Human Rights Committee, the Committee against Torture and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. 10. Mozambique stated that access to justice is considered a fundamental right. In order to guarantee this right, the Government has been carrying out, in coordination with partners in civil society, campaigns to disseminate information on legislation on the rights and duties of citizens. 11. On the issue of legal assistance, Mozambique indicated that the Institute for Judicial Assistance (IPAJ), an institution under the Ministry of Justice, had been created with the objective of providing the right to legal assistance and support to citizens with restricted economic means. Mozambique highlighted that, in recent years, IPAJ has expanded its legal assistance services to cover the capitals of all the provinces and 109 of the country’s 128 districts. 12. Mozambique stated that the judiciary in the country is effectively independent and that a number of different initiatives have been adopted to strengthen this independence. Since 2000, the State has, in a consistent and permanent manner, provided training and human resources through the Centre for Legal and Judicial Education. In the first decade (2000-2010), the centre trained some 304 magistrates. 13. Mozambique added that notable progress has also been made at the infrastructure level, with the construction of courthouse complexes (“palácios da justiça”) which are institutions that bring together in the same space the various organs involved in legal cases, such as courts, the attorney general’s office, criminal investigation and legal assistance services. 14. Mozambique then stated that its Constitution guarantees the right to life and expressly prohibits the death penalty, the use of torture and other inhuman treatment. All cases of excessive use of force, torture and extrajudicial executions result in those agents responsible being held criminally accountable, as well as in the imposition of disciplinary measures, when these are proven. Legal procedures regarding such cases are public, and can be attended by the victim’s family members. 15. Regarding prisons, Mozambique stated that this is still one of the greatest challenges faced but, nevertheless, progress has been made in improving conditions of detention and guaranteeing the human rights of detainees. Prison officers receive training on, inter alia, the application of measures of imprisonment and human rights, the main national, regional and international mechanisms for the protection of persons deprived of their liberty, as well as on interpersonal conflict resolution. More resources have been allocated with a view to improving physical conditions of detention and it was noted that the situation as regards sanitation and hygiene has improved markedly. 16. Mozambique stated further that five new prison establishments at the district level have been built. On juvenile justice it was stated that the Government defended the rehabilitation of young people in conflict with the law and school-prisons. As for the rehabilitation of detainees, Mozambique explained that a number of training and 4