A/HRC/23/38 per 100,000 births. Only 10 per cent of Ivorians are covered by social security. As for education, classrooms are overcrowded, holding as many as 120 students. The announcement of budget allocations for specific social needs is an important step but must be put into practice. 74. The Ivorian authorities informed the Independent Expert that a national social development strategy has been established. Nevertheless, Ivorian civil society organizations and development partners are concerned about the centralist nature of the social measures being taken. They report that actions are too heavily focused on the west, when social problems are also evident in the north. A strategic plan at the communal and regional levels could encourage decentralized governance and allow the communities to act as stakeholders in the process; it would also prevent further widening of the disparity between regions, especially in the north and the east of the country. The consequences of the expansion of Abidjan on the population’s socioeconomic conditions must be dealt with. There is reportedly noticeable economic and social tension in the northern part of the country, particularly during pastoralists’ seasonal migration. 75. The Independent Expert notes the commitments made to Côte d’Ivoire by its economic partners at the meeting held in Paris in December 2012 and believes that those commitments urgently need to be fulfilled in order to foster the economic and social recovery that is essential for sustainable democratic and social reconstruction. 76. The Independent Expert has received reports of illegal exploitation of children, notably in mines. Children returning from asylum countries always have problems with civil registration. As to the education system, school violence persists. The Independent Expert has noted an increase in the number of rapes in school; that leads to teenage pregnancy. Women’s participation in the political process remains very low. 77. The Independent Expert notes the process under way to draft a new rural land law to replace that of 1998. Given this issue’s central importance in Ivorian society and the serious consequences that follow when it is exploited for political purposes, it should be addressed in a holistic manner, focusing on three major issues: common economic prosperity, coexistence and reconciliation, and democratic reconstruction. 78. The various calls for illegally occupied property to be evacuated have not yet produced the expected results. The abusive exploitation of the country’s natural resources and the occupation of sacred forests by armed gangs are likely to have serious ramifications for the environment and ultimately for the exports so necessary to the country’s balance of trade, notably cocoa. D. Specific recommendations to the international community 79. The Independent Expert notes with satisfaction that the international community continues to provide Côte d’Ivoire with substantial assistance in various areas — reestablishment of the rule of law, national reconciliation and economic and social development — in particular by assisting the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, strengthening the judiciary and the security apparatus, promoting human rights and contributing to the country’s economic recovery. A stronger commitment from the private sector is particularly needed at this stage. However, the Independent Expert regrets that his many calls to lift the arms embargo on Cote d’Ivoire have gone unheeded. 80. Thus far, the relevant United Nations bodies have not made public the report of the international commission of inquiry established by the Commission on Human Rights in 2004; that report could help in the unbiased search for truth in the ongoing transitional justice process and the fight against impunity. GE.13-15028 15