A/HRC/40/45 XI. Conclusion 75. In 2018, the renewed calls for peace by the Government had little effect on the plight of Afghan civilians. Although the overall number of civilian casualties remained at approximately the same level as in 2017, the United Nations documented the highest number of civilian deaths during the reporting period since 2014. 76. Demands by a civic movement for peace and for renunciation of violence by armed groups remained unheeded as the security situation continued to deteriorate. The people of Afghanistan witnessed an unprecedented ceasefire at the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan. However, hope for peace remained elusive amidst intensified fighting and targeted attacks by anti-government elements against civilians in both urban and rural areas. 77. The people’s right to political participation came under serious threat by antigovernment elements who conducted a campaign of targeted attacks against voter registration centres and polling stations on the three days of the parliamentary elections. 78. The Government made efforts to implement pledges made during its campaign for membership of the Human Rights Council. In April, Afghanistan acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and withdrew its reservation to the Convention against Torture. The Government also took measures aimed at establishing a national mechanism for reporting and follow-up and expedited drafting of several pending reports to treaty bodies. 79. Women continued to suffer from violence as progress towards promoting women’s rights remained slow. In March, presidential decree No. 262 was issued, amending the 2017 Penal Code to enable continued applicability of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women as the entire chapter on violence against women had been removed from the Penal Code in August 2017. 80. Civil society actors, including women and human rights defenders, journalists and media workers, continued to face threats, intimidation and harassment, thus restricting civil society space. XII. Recommendations 81. The High Commissioner recommendations. 82. for Human Rights makes the following The Government of Afghanistan should: (a) Create a climate conducive to respect for human rights by expanding and implementing the legal framework and strengthening relevant institutions, and continue to fulfil its voluntary pledges and commitments as presented to the General Assembly in support of its candidature for the Human Rights Council; (b) Establish, in consultation with the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, a national preventive mechanism for the prevention of torture; (c) Continue to implement the national policy on civilian casualty prevention and mitigation, strengthen measures to investigate all incidents of conflictrelated harm to civilians and further reinforce the dedicated entity for the documentation of conflict-related incidents; (d) Develop a plan of action to meet its obligations under the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War (Protocol V) to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects; (e) Strengthen the capacity of the child protection units within the Afghan National Police to monitor, identify and prevent underage recruitment and use through proactive monitoring, particularly at checkpoints, investigate all reports of child recruitment and use and sexual violence against children, and address the lack 13