Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Fourth periodic report submitted by Chad under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant, due in 2012 *

[Date received: 21 August 2020]

Introduction

1.Like other African countries, Chad acquired international sovereignty and, on 20 September 1960, became a full Member of the United Nations. It has joined several global, regional and subregional organizations in order to take an active part in the management of international society.

2.As a member of various international organizations, Chad has signed and ratified a number of international instruments. Even during the period of unrest (1960–1990), Chad demonstrated a special commitment to human rights. For example, it signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, various International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of 1977, the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid of 1974 and particularly the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966.

3.The tide of democracy that swept through francophone black Africa in the 1990s brought hope to the Chadian people. On 1 December 1990, a new age of democracy was ushered in by a now famous declaration: “I will not bring you gold or silver, but freedom.” Six years later, on 31 March 1996, the first constitution of the democratic era was adopted. This constitution was revised twice before being superseded by the Constitution of 4 May 2018. The institutional reforms that gave rise to the Constitution of the Fourth Republic have also allowed for the reform of public institutions, particularly in the area of human rights.

4.The present periodic report was prepared by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights following a workshop held in January 2020 and was approved on 25 April 2020. It covers the period 2012–2020 and highlights the various legislative, administrative and judicial mechanisms established in order to fulfil the obligations contained in the provisions of the Covenant.

5.The process of preparing and approving the present report was affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which had led the Government to take measures to restrict freedoms. These measures have had a real impact on the effective enjoyment of human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights.

To mitigate the adverse effects of these measures, the Government has done the following:

•Provided free electricity and water throughout the country for three months and six months, respectively

•Distributed basic necessities and masks to those in need, free of charge

6.The present report is structured as follows:

I.Overview of the general framework for the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights

II.Government follow-up to the Committee’s observations and recommendations on the domestic application of the Covenant

I.Overview of the general framework for the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights

A.Executive branch

7.Chad is a highly decentralized unitary State comprising 23 provinces, 112 departments and 414 communes. The institutional reform of 2018, which was introduced following the National Forum for Inclusion, gave additional powers to the President by creating a presidential system, set the president’s term of office at six years, renewable once, and abolished the position of prime minister. In accordance with article 65 of the Constitution, executive power is vested in the President, who upholds the Constitution and international treaties and agreements and ensures, by his or her arbitration, the proper functioning of the public authorities and the continuity of the State.

B.Legislative branch

8.In Chad, legislative power is exercised by the National Assembly, which passes laws and is responsible for supervising the government’s measures, evaluating public policies and monitoring the implementation of laws. Members of the National Assembly are elected by direct universal suffrage for a renewable term of five years.

9.The current legislature comprises 188 members, including 28 women (15 per cent). By contrast, from 2002 to 2011, the legislature comprised 155 members, 11 of whom were women (7 per cent).

10.The Electoral Code established pursuant to Act No. 033/PR/2019 of 22 July 2019 sets the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly at 161, i.e. 27 seats fewer than in the previous legislature.

11.Dialogue between political figures is currently under way within the national framework for political dialogue in preparation for elections in 2020.

C.Judicial branch

12.In Chad, the judicial branch is independent of the executive and legislative branches. There is a single judicial system, with the Supreme Court at the top of the hierarchy in judicial, administrative, constitutional and fiscal matters (Constitution, arts. 146–147). Judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, the Military High Court, lower courts and magistrates’ courts.

13.The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal in judicial, constitutional, administrative and fiscal matters and in matters of high treason. It rules on cassation appeals in all matters, in accordance with Ordinance No. 15/PR/2018 of 31 May 2018 on the powers and functioning of the Supreme Court. It is the only court with the power to rule on appeals against decrees and decisions brought on the grounds of abuse of power. It gives its opinion on bills before they are discussed by the Council of Ministers and is the only court with the authority to rule on disputes regarding presidential, legislative and local elections.

D.Economic, Social and Cultural Council

14.The Economic, Social and Cultural Council is a consultative body established pursuant to the Constitution of 1996 and retained in the current Constitution. It issues opinions on economic, social and cultural questions referred to it by the President of the Republic or the President of the National Assembly. It may also choose to consider any question of economic, social, cultural or environmental development on its own motion and submit its conclusions to the President of the Republic.

E.High Council of Autonomous Communities and Traditional Leaders

15.The High Council of Autonomous Communities and Traditional Leaders is a consultative assembly that gives reasoned opinions on decentralization and regional development policies and issues relating to traditional leadership and participates in the out-of-court settlement of disputes. It is a new institution that has assumed some of the powers of the old Office of the Ombudsman, which was abolished under the current Constitution.

F.High Authority for Media and Broadcasting

16.The High Authority for Media and Broadcasting replaces the old High Council for Communication and is composed of nine members. Its purpose is to ensure compliance with ethical rules and legislation in the field of information and communication, to regulate access to and the exercise of the profession of journalism and to guarantee freedom of the press and the pluralistic expression of opinions within the framework of respect for national cultural values, public order and the private life of citizens. It is also responsible for regulating communication between public authorities, media outlets and the public, ensuring equal access to public media for political parties and equitable access to public media for associations, giving technical opinions and making recommendations on information issues.

G.National Human Rights Commission

17.The National Human Rights Commission is an independent administrative authority. It consists of 11 members, who are elected for a four-year term, renewable once. Its mission is to contribute to promoting and protecting human rights by formulating opinions on human rights issues for submission to the Government and assisting the Government in its work with national and international institutions on human rights issues in Chad. It also participates in reviews of existing legislation and the drafting of new human rights standards, conducts surveys and studies and issues publications on human rights. It has the power to take action on its own motion and advises the Government on the ratification of international legal instruments in the field of human rights.

H.Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

18.The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is a mechanism that promotes the transparent management of extractive industries. Its motto is: “Declare what you earn, declare what you pay.”

19.This mechanism is composed of representatives of various State institutions, civil society, trade unions and religious organizations. It is the guarantor of transparency in the management of petroleum revenues.

II.Government follow-up to the Committees’ observations and recommendations

(1)The Committee recommends that, in its next periodic report, the State party provide statistical data on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, disaggregated by sex, age and rural/urban population, and on refugees/internally displaced persons, persons living with HIV/AIDS and persons with disabilities.

(a)Persons with disabilities

(b)Refugees and internally displaced persons

20.Several national and international institutions are involved in the protection and social, economic and cultural integration of refugees, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the National Committee for Assistance to Humanitarian Actors and the Integrated Security Detachment and the Maison des Avocats (a legal aid centre).

Table showing the distribution of refugees and internally displaced persons in Chad

Population group	Country of origin	January 2012	December 2012–January 2013	December 2013	2014–2020
Total number in Chad	Number assisted by UNHCR	Total number in Chad	Number assisted by UNHCR	Total number in Chad	Number assisted by UNHCR
Refugees	Central African Republic	75 000	70 000	79 000	74 000	83 000	78 000
Sudan	288 000	274 000	281 000	281 000	253 000	253 000
Other	300	300	400	400	500	500
Asylum seekers	Various	100	100	50	50	50	50
Repatriated refugees	Chad	5 000	5 000	5 000	5 000	5 000	5 000
Internally displaced persons	Chad	130 000	130 000	80 000	80 000	30 000	30 000
Returned displaced persons	Chad	50 000	50 000	50 000	50 000	30 000	30 000
Total		548 400	529 400	495 450	495 450	401 550	396 550

Source : UNHCR Chad (2009).

NB : The table reveals a downward trend in the number of refugees and displaced persons, which is largely the result of the restoration of peace in the border areas and voluntary returns.

(c)Persons living with HIV/AIDS

21.As part of efforts to define disease control strategies, 19 vertical programmes have been established, including the Sector-based Programme to Combat AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

National health programmes

Number	Title	Sources of funding
1	Sector-based Programme to Combat AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections	State, Global Fund
2	National Programme for the Elimination of Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis	State, World Health Organization (WHO), African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control
3	National Programme to Combat Leprosy	State, Fondation Raoul Follereau, WHO, Mission Evangélique contre la Lèpre
4	National Programme to Prevent Blindness	State
5	National Tuberculosis Programme	State, Global Fund, WHO
6	National Programme to Combat Human African Trypanosomiasis	State, WHO
7	National Programme to Combat Diarrhoea and Acute Respiratory Diseases	State, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
8	National Programme to Combat Food-borne Diseases	State
9	National Programme to Eradicate Guinea Worm	State, Carter Center
10	National Mental Health Programme	State
11	Iodine Deficiency Disorders Programme	State
12	National Anti-Malaria Programme	State, Global Fund, Islamic Development Bank, WHO, UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
13	National Anti-Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programme	State, WHO
14	National Coordination Programme for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV	State, UNICEF, WHO
15	National Health Programme for Nomads, Islanders and Hard‑to‑Reach Populations	State
16	National Coordination Programme on Fistula	State, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
17	National Programme to Combat Diabetes	State
18	National Programme to Combat Cancer	State
19	National Oral Health Programme	State

Source : Health Statistics Yearbook 2017 .

(d)Efforts to combat HIV/AIDS

22.Chad has made several international human rights commitments in this area. It has also adopted legislation intended to improve the health of the population and to prevent the spread of HIV and has established various policies and strategies to combat HIV/AIDS. The National Council on AIDS and the Sector-based Programme to Combat AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections, along with various ministerial committees, were established to that end. These commitments are firmly grounded in the achievement of universal access to preventive and other care, treatment and support. With help from its technical and financial partners, Chad has also adopted a plan to accelerate its response on the basis of the national strategic plan for 2012–2016.

23.A commitment was made in 2015 to ensure that, by 2020, 90 per cent of persons living with HIV have been tested, 90 per cent of persons who have tested positive for HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy and 90 per cent of persons on antiretroviral therapy achieve viral suppression (ref. WHO, 2015).

Overview: Key outcomes of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Chad in 2017

Indicators	Results
Support for pregnant women
Number of pregnant women seen in prenatal consultation	380 824
Number of pregnant women seen in prenatal consultation who received pre-test counselling	358 611
Number of pregnant women seen in prenatal consultation who were tested	296 502

Data on medical support/indicators	Results
Number of medical support centres	96
Total number of adults living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy	49 786
Total number of children living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy	2 082
Number of adults and children on antiretroviral therapy as at late 2017	51 868
Number of adults and children living with HIV placed on the active patient list	10 282
Number of adults and children with HIV who died	875
Number of adults and children with HIV who went missing	2 733
Number of adults and children on second-line antiretroviral therapy	633
Number of adults and children with HIV on co-trimoxazol prophylaxis therapy	39 436
Number of adults and children with HIV on isoniazid prophylaxis therapy	1 151
Number of persons living with HIV screened for tuberculosis	10 887
Number of persons living with HIV who tested positive for tuberculosis	1 199
Number of persons living with HIV who started treatment for tuberculosis	1 060
Number of persons living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy who underwent viral load testing	1 029
Number of persons living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy who achieved viral suppression (viral load < 1,000 copies /ml )	723

Data on voluntary testing and counselling/indicators	Results
Deaths (children and adults)	875
Number of voluntary testing centres	102
Number of men who underwent counselling and testing	57 046
Number of women who underwent counselling and testing	70 087
Number of persons who underwent counselling and testing in voluntary testing centres	130 352
Number of medical bulletins picked up	129 313
Number of persons who tested positive for HIV	10 753
Number of blood bags collected	74 199
Number of blood bags submitted for screening of four markers	59 223

Data from blood transfusion centres/indicators	Results
Number of blood bags tested positive for HIV	1 935, or 2.6%
Number of blood bags tested positive for syphilis	2 401, or 3.2%
Number of blood bags tested positive for hepatitis B	6 647, or 8.7%
Number of blood bags tested positive for hepatitis C	1 979, or 2.4%

HIV/indicators	Results
Number of pregnant women seen in prenatal consultation who were tested for HIV and received their results	300 554
Number of pregnant women seen in prenatal consultation who tested positive for HIV	3 844
Number of partners of pregnant women tested	9 936
Number of pregnant women with unknown status tested in the delivery room	11 660
Number of HIV-positive women who gave birth	1 728
Number of HIV-positive pregnant women on co-trimoxazol	373
Number of HIV-positive pregnant women on antiretroviral therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission	3 504
Number of HIV-positive pregnant women on antiretroviral therapy before pregnancy	1 586
Number of seropositive women on antiretroviral therapy	5 080

Support provided to children/indicators	Results
Number of children born to seropositive mothers	1 613
Number of children born to seropositive mothers placed on antiretroviral therapy within 72 hours	1 596
Number of children born to seropositive mothers tested within 4–6 weeks (polymerase chain reaction testing)	10
Number of children born to seropositive mothers tested within 7 weeks to 12 months	675
Number of children born to seropositive mothers placed on co-trimoxazol	710
Number of children born to seropositive mothers confirmed to be seropositive	105
Number of children born to seropositive mothers confirmed to be seronegative	686
Number of children born to seropositive mothers confirmed to be seropositive placed on antiretroviral therapy	131

Coverage/indicators	Results
Antiretroviral therapy coverage (adults and children)	55.90%
Antiretroviral therapy coverage among adults	17.40%
Antiretroviral therapy coverage among children	52.80%
Persons living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy having undergone viral load testing	2%
P ersons living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy who have achieved viral load suppression (viral load < 1,000 copies /ml )	1.40%
Patient retention in antiretroviral therapy within 12 months of the start of treatment	68%

Source : Health Statistics Yearbook 2017 .

24.The rate of prevalence of HIV in Chad is 1.6 per cent among the general population and 1.2 per cent among pregnant women, according to the demographic and health survey and multiple indicator cluster survey 2014–2015, and the activities carried out by the Chadian Social Marketing Association to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic are aimed at targets established in the National Strategic Plan to Combat AIDS 2012–2015. These activities are primarily focused on high-risk groups – young people, prostitutes, truck drivers, merchants, uniformed personnel, seasonal workers, nomadic herders, migrants from the Lake Chad area and other vulnerable groups, including women, children and the poor and marginalized.

25.As a result of the activities carried out over the course of the year, 4,942,896 male condoms were sold out of a target of 8,300,000 – an implementation rate of 59.55 per cent.

26.Condom sales increased by 4.08 per cent compared to 2016, when only 4,749,228 condoms were sold.

27.With regard to access to male condoms, the situation is as follows:

•Average per capita annual male condom use among sexually active persons between 15 and 49 years of age:

•In 2017, such use stood at 0.71, 47.33 per cent of the annual target of 1.50.

•Average per capita annual male condom consumption among the general population:

•As at 31 December 2017, condom use among the population at large stood at 0.33, 26.40 per cent of the annual target for 2017 of 1.25.

•The city of N’Djamena, which represents 5 per cent of the population of the country’s 23 regions, continued to perform well in terms of such use. It was followed by the Logone Occidental Region, the economic capital of the country (Moundou), where general use was at an acceptable level. In three regions – Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi Ouest and Moyen-Chari, which represent 17 per cent of the population of the 23 regions – such use could be improved. Various regional centres and outposts are located in these regions. Seventeen out of 22 regions in Chad, or 77 per cent of the population, had a low level of general condom use in the fourth quarter. These regions include Ouaddaï, home to the largest city in the north of the country, and the other regions in the north, east and west, where no activities were carried out during the fourth quarter.

28.Promotion of the use of female condoms was carried out in 2017 through a distribution network primarily composed of retailers in N’Djamena, Moundou, Sarh, Pala and Koumra.

29.In total, 22,312 female condoms were sold, representing an implementation rate of 63.75 per cent of the annual target.

30.According to figures from 2017, 5,037,336 condoms were formally distributed in Chad. The market was dominated by the Chadian Social Marketing Association, which sold 4,942,896 male condoms (98.13 per cent), followed by the Chadian Family Welfare Association, which distributed 55,440 condoms (1.10 per cent), and UNFPA, which distributed 39,000 condoms (0.77 per cent). The Chadian Social Marketing Association remained the only distributor of female condoms on the market in 2017, selling 22,312 condoms.

HIV counselling and voluntary testing facilities

31.As part of efforts to promote HIV counselling and voluntary testing, in 2017 the Chadian Social Marketing Association carried out a total of 5,210 tests through its permanent services and outreach projects, which resulted in the detection of 455 positive cases, i.e. an infection rate of 8.73 per cent. Of the persons who underwent counselling and testing, 3,596 were men, 222 of whom tested positive, i.e. an infection rate of 6.17 per cent, and 1,614 were women, 233 of whom tested positive, i.e. an infection rate of 14.44 per cent. As can be seen from these figures, the infection rate among persons tested by the Chadian Social Marketing Association in voluntary testing and counselling facilities in 2017 was high, and twice as high among women than among men. Moreover, while fewer women were tested overall, they represented 51.21 per cent of all positive cases, while men represented 48.79 per cent. The Chadian Social Marketing Association achieved 41,409 couple-years of protection in 2017 (source: Health Statistics Yearbook 2017).

Overview of the number of persons living with HIV/AIDS

32.The proportion of persons between the ages of 15 and 59 living with HIV/AIDS in Chad is 3.3 per cent. The population of Chad is estimated at 11,175,915.

Sex	Age	Number	Percentage
Women	15–59	110 000	4
Men	15–59	75 000	2.6
Children	15	14 400	19

Source : Chadian Association for Family Welfare, Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2010.

NB : The rate of prevalence of HIV/AIDS was 3.4 per cent in 2012 and the mother-to-child transmission rate was 32 per cent. The Government intends to reduce these rates to 3 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, by 2015.

Disability rates by age group and sex

Sociodemographic characteristics	Disability rate (at least one disability) in %
Age group
0–4 years	0.8
5–14 years	2.0
15–24 years	2.5
25–49 years	3.6
50 years and over	16.2
Sex
Male	3.7
Female	3.2
Total	3.5

Source : Demographic and health survey and multiple indicator cluster survey 2014–2015, p. 300.

Persons living with HIV/AIDS – HIV/AIDS seroprevalence rates by age group and sex

Age group	Sex	Total
Male	Female
15–19 years	0.4	1.2	0.8
20–24 years	1.2	1.8	1.5
25–29 years	1.3	2.1	1.8
30–34 years	2.1	1.9	2.0
35–39 years	3.0	2.9	2.9
40–44 years	1.0	1.5	1.2
45–49 years	1.3	1.6	1.4
All	1.3	1.8	1.6

Source : Demographic and health survey and multiple indicator cluster survey 2014 – 2015, p. 298.

(2)The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to give full effect to the Covenant in domestic law and to provide information on relevant jurisprudence in its next periodic report. In this respect, the Committee draws the attention of the State party to general comment No. 9 (1998) on the domestic application of the Covenant. The State party should ensure that judicial training takes full account of the justiciability of Covenant rights and should take measures to increase awareness of the right to invoke the Covenant before the courts.

33.With regard to jurisprudence, a number of judicial decisions could be cited as examples, since the Covenant covers several areas. In social matters, for example, on 24 April 2007, the Judicial Division of the Supreme Court issued decision No. 06/CS/CJ/SS/07 on the suspension of a driver’s employment contract following a work accident during which the driver fled, and, on 25 September 2001, it issued decision No. 010/CS/CJ/SS/2001 on a dismissal for poor service and lack of confidence without prior authorization from the labour inspector. With regard to expropriation, on 25 February 2000, the Civil Division of the N’Djamena Court of Appeal issued an unequivocal decision (register No. 118) that puts an end to the process of expropriation once compensation has been paid by the public authorities. In environmental matters, the N’Djamena Court of First Instance issued a decision on 16 October 2019 in the case of Ministry of the Environment and Fisheries v. Brasseries du Tchad (register No. 234/2019 of 16 August 2019). In this case, it was discovered that the Brasseries du Tchad had dumped a large amount of liquid and gaseous waste in the Chari River, thereby polluting its water. Brasseries du Tchad was ordered to pay damages for the harm caused. On 5 July 2019, the N’Djamena Tribunal de Grande Instance (court of major jurisdiction) issued a decision on the sale of wildlife products, sentencing the perpetrators to 6 months’ imprisonment and ordering the confiscation of the offending items (Public Prosecution Service, register No. 1271/19). On 14 June 2019, the N’Djamena court of major jurisdiction issued a decision in the case of Ministry of the Environment and Fisheries v. Farme Ouidandi and Nestor Djimadoumadji relating to the slaughter of protected animals. The perpetrators were each given a one-year suspended prison sentence and the offending items were confiscated (Public Prosecution Service, register No. 1948/19).

(3)The Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary steps to ensure that the National Commission on Human Rights meets the requirements of independence and autonomy set out in the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), General Assembly resolution 48/134). The Committee also recommends that the State party give the Commission a specific mandate to deal with violations of economic, social and cultural rights.

34.To demonstrate its political will and address the many concerns raised by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, the Government has taken steps to reform the National Human Rights Commission. These steps led to the inclusion of the Commission among the country’s key institutions and the adoption of Act No. 28/PR/2018 of 22 November 2018 on the powers, organization and functioning of the Commission. The commissioners have been elected and appointed in accordance with the provisions of the aforementioned Act.

35.The Commission now meets the requirements of the Paris Principles and enjoys financial autonomy and administrative independence. It is composed of 12 commissioners, including:

•Two independents figures

•Two members of human rights organizations

•Two members of women’s organizations working to defend women’s rights

•One member of an organization of persons with disabilities

•One member of a workers’ trade union

•One member of a professional media organization

•One member of teaching staff from the law faculty of a public university

•One member of the bar association

•One member of a judges’ association

36.The Commission has a broad mandate in matters relating to the promotion and protection of human rights.

37.Pursuant to the above-mentioned Act, the Commission has the power to act on its own motion in cases regarding violations of economic, social and cultural rights.

(4)The Committee notes with concern that the State party has yet to take firm and effective measures to combat corruption and impunity, even though the State party has experienced high levels of corruption. It regrets the lack of information on prosecutions and sentences for corruption.

The Committee recommends that the State party train the police and other law enforcement officers, as well as prosecutors and judges in the strict application of anti-corruption laws, that it conduct awareness-raising campaigns and that it require the public authorities, in law and in practice, to operate in a transparent manner. It also recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to prosecute cases of corruption and review its sentencing policy for corruption-related offences. The Committee requests the State party to provide detailed information in its next periodic report about the progress made in combating corruption and impunity and any obstacles encountered.

38.Title IV of the Criminal Code of 8 May 2017 provides for the punishment of “corruption and related offences”. This subject is covered in articles 192 to 240.

39.Moreover, pursuant to Ordinance No. 008 of 30 March 2018, the President ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption, adopted on 31 October 2003 in Mérida, Mexico, near the United States of America. To give effect to this commitment, the confessional oath was introduced pursuant to Ordinance No. 013/PR/2018 of 24 May 2018 by which the confessional oath, related procedures and persons bound by the oath were established. The Government also established the General State Inspectorate to monitor financial activities and combat corruption.

40.With respect to the policy of friendly cooperation (politique de la main tendue), Ordinance No. 019 of 7 June 2018 on undermining the integrity of the State provides that persons found to have embezzled public funds or committed economic crimes may not be granted amnesty.

41.The courts have handed down sanctions against persons involved in the embezzlement of public funds and corruption.

(5)The Committee notes with concern, in the light of the information made available to it, that the justice system suffers from widespread corruption, is often subject to executive influence and is underfunded. It also notes with concern that judicial decisions are in some cases not applied by the Government.

The Committee urges the State party to take effective measures to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and to ensure that this principle is fully implemented and promoted. It also requests the State party to ensure that judicial decisions are actually implemented. The State party is invited to conduct training for judges and lawyers on economic, social and cultural rights.

42.Pursuant to article 146 of the Constitution, the judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative branches of power.

43.The Government revised the status of the judiciary through Ordinance No. 007/PR/2012 of 21 February 2012.

44.This ordinance guarantees the independence of judges in the exercise or in the course of exercising their duties. Article 18 of the ordinance provides that: “Unless otherwise provided for by law and subject to regular disciplinary authority, judges may not under any circumstances be subjected to interference on account of the actions that they perform in the exercise or in the course of exercising their duties.” Article 20 provides that: “Judges may not be removed, and they may not be transferred to a new post without their consent. Prosecutors are assigned in accordance with service requirements.” Article 21 adds that: “In the performance of their judicial duties, judges may not receive instructions from superiors. They shall take their decisions in accordance with the law and their conscience. They may not therefore be held to account for the decisions that they make or the decisions to which they contribute.”

45.The Committee’s concerns relating to the training of judges and lawyers in the field of economic, social and cultural rights have been taken into account in the various in-service training plans of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

46.Judicial decisions are not in any way influenced by the State. By way of example, some senior government officials are currently being prosecuted, and some have been imprisoned, for corruption and embezzlement of public funds. Efforts are being made with regard to the implementation of judicial decisions.

Article 2 (2)

(6)The Committee is concerned about the adverse effects of the exploitation of natural resources, particularly mining operations and oil exploration in indigenous territories, which is carried out in violation of the right of indigenous people with regard to their ancestral lands and natural resources.

The Committee urges the State party to carry out environmental and social impact assessments of economic activities, particularly mining and oil exploration, and to consult with the communities concerned, with a view to ensuring that these activities do not deprive indigenous peoples of the full enjoyment of their rights with regard to their ancestral lands and natural resources. In this respect, the Committee encourages the State party to consider ratifying the International Labour Organization (ILO) Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169).

47.The Government of Chad and its development partners have conducted assessments of the environmental and social impact of oil exploitation. Mining and oil extraction companies are subject to the Mining Code, which requires them to carry out a preliminary environmental impact study before initiating any project. During the exploitation phase, these companies have an obligation to protect and mitigate adverse effects on the environment.

48.Material and financial compensation has been granted to local populations who have lost their ancestral lands, such as the people of Komé in connection with the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project carried out by the ExxonMobil Corporation. A national non-governmental organization called the Groupe de Recherches Alternatives et de Monitoring du Projet Pétrole Tchad-Cameroun (Group for Alternative Research and Monitoring of the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Project) is also involved in environmental and socioeconomic studies and ensures that populations dispossessed of their ancestral lands receive fair and equitable compensation. As part of the construction work on the Djermaya refinery, the Minister of Oil and Energy issued Order No. 34/PR/PM/MPME/2014 establishing a technical committee responsible for assessing the situation of persons entitled to compensation in Djermaya and the surrounding area. As a result of this work, the persons concerned received 804,000 CFA francs (CFAF) per person and per ha as compensation. In addition to this payment, relocation measures were taken to support groups of persons whose homes were affected. Pursuant to Act No. 002/PR/2014 on the distribution and management of oil revenues, 25 per cent of such revenues are allocated to the areas of production.

49.With regard to ILO Convention No. 169, Chad wishes to point out that there are no indigenous peoples, within the meaning of the Convention, on its territory. The only members of the Mbororo people who define themselves in this way are essentially nomadic and their ancestral lands are far from the territory of Chad, which is currently hosting them.

Article 3

(7)The Committee is concerned that women continue to face discrimination in many domains, especially where access to employment, land and credit and inheritance rights are concerned, even though, under article 14, paragraph 2, of the Constitution, the State is required to ensure that all forms of discrimination against women are eliminated and that women’s rights in all spheres of private and public life are protected. It is also concerned about the State party’s contention that women themselves help to perpetuate the stereotypes that marginalize them.

The Committee requests the State party to take more stringent and effective legal and practical measures to counter inequality between the sexes and discrimination against women in the State party. It urges the State party swiftly to adopt the personal and family code that is currently being drafted, to indicate in its next report the key provisions of the code on equal rights for men and women and to state whether the code is consistent with the various obligations established under the Covenant. The Committee encourages the State party to take effective measures, including through the use of the media and education, to eliminate traditional stereotypes regarding the status of women in the public and private spheres and to ensure effective gender equality in all fields, as required by article 2, paragraph 2, and article 3 of the Covenant. In this regard, the Committee draws the attention of the State party to general comment No. 16 (2005) on the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights.

50.Article 13 of the Constitution provides that “Chadians of both sexes have the same rights and duties. They are equal before the law.” Under national legislation and the treaties that Chad has ratified, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Chadians of both sexes have the same rights and duties. Under Chadian law, there is no gender inequality or discrimination against women. Ordinance No. 22/PR/2018 of 30 May 2018 on gender parity in elections and appointments to office in Chad contributes to improving the representation of women in elected assemblies, institutions and public and private administrations. The Government has also adopted policies and strategies designed to improve the situation of women. These include the National Gender Policy for 2017 and the National Strategy to Combat Gender-based Violence. The Government and its national and international partners are carrying out awareness-raising campaigns throughout the country to help change discriminatory attitudes and practices.

51.Pursuant to Act No. 015/2018 of 9 July 2018, the Government established the Women’s Centre as a means of promoting awareness-raising and educational activities. The Centre’s mission relates to the training, mentoring, development and advancement of women.

52.In order to ensure the fulfilment of this mission, the Government issued Decision No. 042/HCC/SG/2017 of 13 October 2017 on the establishment of Voix de la Femme, a theme-based radio station for women that is housed in the Centre.

53.The draft personal and family code is pending adoption. This draft takes into account the obligations set out in the Covenant.

(8)The Committee is concerned about the low level of women’s representation in Parliament, in senior Government positions and in the judiciary.

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt special measures of affirmative action for women, such as guaranteed seats in Parliament and a statutory minimum quota for the appointment, recruitment and promotion of women in Government jobs and in the judiciary, including in positions of responsibility and in the most senior posts. The Committee requests the State party to indicate in its next report if the bill on quotas, which is supposed to remedy the problem of the underrepresentation of women in paid employment, has been adopted, and, if not, what is preventing its adoption.

54.The Government embarked on a wide-ranging reform of its legal framework with a view to promoting and protecting the rights of women. The reform led to the adoption of laws and policies, the establishment of institutions and mechanisms for implementing its policies, the development of diversified programmes and initiatives for the empowerment of women and the adoption of incentives to increase girls’ access to school and higher education. The pieces of legislation covered by the reform include:

•The Constitution of 4 May 2018

•Act No. 22/PR/2018 of 5 November 2018 on gender parity in elections and appointments to office in Chad

•Act No. 029/PR/2015 of 21 July 2015 ratifying Ordinance No. 006/PR/2015 of 15 March 2015 prohibiting child marriage in Chad

•The Criminal Code (Act No. 001/PR/2017 of 8 May 2017)

55.Other policies and strategies that have been developed and implemented include the National Development Plan 2017–2021, which arose from the initiative known as Vision 2030: The Chad We Want. It is also worth noting the National Social Policy Strategy adopted by the Government in 2015, the National Microfinance Strategy 2009–2013 and the regional initiative known as the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project.

Articles 6–8

(9)The Committee is concerned about the high unemployment rate and the lack of detailed information on national and regional employment programmes for the formal and informal sectors or other clear strategies to solve this problem. It regrets that the Labour Code does not provide for a labour inspection system.

The Committee urges the State party to develop and implement action plans for employment that will progressively reduce unemployment in the informal sector. The Committee recommends that the State party amend its labour legislation in order to set up a system of labour inspectors, and that it seek technical assistance from the ILO in order to train them.

Unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and over, disaggregated by place of residence, sex and household status

56.The informal sector makes a significant contribution to the national economy. In this connection, the Ministry of the Civil Service and Labour has carried out a study and development partners have identified certain relevant sectors, including that of women engaged in income-generating activities.

57.Efforts are being made through the National Fund for the Support of Occupational Training, which runs training courses for informal sector workers to help them move into the formal sector and regularize their status. In its determination to tackle unemployment, the Government has established a fully-fledged Ministry responsible for microcredit for young persons and women and the National Office for Youth and Sport.

58.The National Office for Youth and Sport is a mechanism for funding young people’s projects that grants credit to interested parties. The interest-free credit offered is intended to fund the projects of girls and boys. It enables young people to establish and develop more income-generating activities to combat the poverty and underemployment that they are facing.

59.For 2012 alone, the Ministry responsible for microcredit granted CFAF 3,128,957,254 worth of credit to groups that foster solidarity and to groups, associations and enterprises run by young persons and women. Funding has been granted to 9,700 microprojects in 22 regions, benefiting 87,254 persons. This government policy has boosted self-employment and empowered young people.

Microcredit granted in 2014 and 2015

Position	Name of institution	Amount disbursed
1	Union des Clubs d ’ Epargne et de Crédit du Mayo-Kebbi	200 000 000
2	Promotion et Appui aux Réseaux des Coopératives d ’ Epargne et de Crédits	250 000 000
3	Réseau des Caisses d ’ Épargne et de Crédit	250 000 000
4	Mutuelle des Femmes pour l ’ Épargne et le Crédit	25 000 000
5	Union des Coopératives d ’ Epargne et de Crédit l ’ Immaculée de la Tandjilé	100 000 000
6	Groupe de Recherche et D ’ appui à la Production Agricole	100 000 000
7	Programme Chretien d ’ Animation Rural	100 000 000
8	AAE	30 000 000
9	ASDED	50 000 000
10	Association pour le Développement Economique et Social du Lac	50 000 000
11	Association des Jeunes du Guéra	40 000 000
12	Union des Caisses d ’ Épargne et de Crédit du Guéra	200 000 000
13	AMANA	200 000 000
14	5 Talents	90 000 000
15	Agence Technique pour l ’ Action Humanitaire et Sociale	300 000 000
16	ADB	150 000 000
17	Federation NAN	100 000 000
18	AFPDS	66 000 000
19	Barbara pour le dévéloppement	130 000 000
20	Association pour la Promotion des Initiatives de Développement Locales	50 000 000
Total	2 481 000 000

Source : Report on the activities of the Ministry responsible for microcredit, 2015.

Summary of signed on-lending agreements 7 August 2014 to 31 December 2015

Region	Amount in CFAF	Signatory organization	Category
Formalized by contract	Disbursed by the Ministry of Finance and Budget
Mayo-Kebbi-Est	300 000 000	100 000 000	Union des Caisses d ’ Epargne et de Crédit du Mayo Kebbi	Microfinance institution
Mayo-Kebbi-Ouest	300 000 000	100 000 000
Tandjilé	300 000 000	100 000 000	Union des Coopératives d ’ Épargne et de Crédits Immaculés de la Tandjilé	Microfinance institution
Logone Occidental	300 000 000	250 000 000	Réseau des Caisses d ’ Epargne et de Crédit	Microfinance institution
Moyen-Chari	300 000 000	250 000 000	Promotion et Appui aux Réseaux des Coopératives d ’ Epargne et de Crédits	Microfinance institution
Mandoul	300 000 000		FINADEV (Islamic credit) financed by PROMIFIT	Microfinance institution
Ouaddaï	150 000 000
Salamat	150 000 000
Guéra	300 000 000	200 000 000	Union des Caisses d ’ Epargne et de Crédit du Guéra	Microfinance institution
60 000 000	40 000 000	Association des Jeunes du Guéra	Non-governmental organization (NGO)
Borkou	200 000 000	65 000 000	Barbara pour le développement	NGO

Source : Report on the activities of the Ministry responsible for microcredit, 2015.

60.A total of 20 partners (8 microfinance and 12 bridge institutions) have signed on-lending contracts with the Ministry responsible for microcredit.

61.The Government is considering reviewing its labour legislation in order to strengthen the capacities of labour inspectors and their powers with a view to making their missions more effective. This review will take into account the Committee’s concerns about the labour inspection system. To this end, it would welcome technical assistance from ILO in order to train inspectors.

Place of residence and sex	Head of household	Spouse of head of household	Child heads of household	Other household members	Total
Place of residence
N ’ Djamena	4.7	6.6	18.8	19.2	8.8
Moundou	2.4	0.0	2.6	14.5	3.4
Sarh	1.8	2.9	7.9	8.2	3.5
Abéché	9.4	4.8	32.1	17.3	12.5
Other urban areas	3.9	4.4	14.3	8.6	5.9
Urban total	4.3	4.9	16.0	14.2	7.1
Rural	5.1	3.5	9.4	6.9	5.4
Sex
Male	5.2	12.2	12.7	11.1	6.8
Female	3.0	3.5	6.9	6.9	4.2
Total	4.9	3.6	10.5	8.4	5.7

Source : National Institute of Statistics for Economic and Demographic Studies, third national consumption and the informal sector survey, 2011, report on employment, page 36.

62.In 2011, 5.7 per cent of persons aged 15 years and over were unemployed. The rate is higher among child heads of households (10.5 per cent) and other members of such households (8.4 per cent). Unemployment is lower among the spouses of heads of household (3.6 per cent). The unemployment rate is higher in the city of Abéché (12.5 per cent) than anywhere else. It is also slightly higher among men (6.8 per cent) than among women (4.2 per cent).

(10)The Committee notes with concern that the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value is not applied uniformly by State-owned and private companies.

The Committee urges the State party to implement the measures recently adopted to ensure equal remuneration for work of equal value, in accordance with the Covenant, and to reduce the wage gap between men and women.

Article 9

(11)The Committee is concerned that the State party’s social security system does not provide universal coverage and that a large number of vulnerable and marginalized groups, such as casual workers and the self-employed, are excluded.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure universal social security coverage in Chad, giving priority to vulnerable and marginalized groups. In this regard, the Committee encourages the State party to explore the possibilities afforded by international cooperation, in keeping with article 2 (1) of the Covenant.

63.There are two types of social protection schemes – contributory and non-contributory (or social aid) – which together form a coherent system that ensures the protection of the public. Social protection is a key aspect of national socioeconomic development and is aimed at improving people’s quality of life. In that regard, the National Social Protection Strategy of 2016 has allowed for special measures to be taken to reduce economic and social vulnerabilities. This strategy complements earlier instruments, such as the Social Security Code of 1999, the National Employment Policy of 2014, the Labour Code (Act No. 38 of 11 December 1996) and the National Development Plan 2017–2021, which takes social protection into account.

64.Plans are in place to reform the institutional framework, including the National Social Security Fund and the National Pension Fund, in order to ensure that adequate coverage is provided.

65.It should also be noted that the Government has adopted Act No. 035/PR/2019 of 5 August 2019 establishing universal health coverage in Chad. This Act is based on the principles of national solidarity, equity, risk pooling, efficiency and non-discrimination. It takes the following three systems into account:

•A contributory scheme known as Employees’ Health Insurance, which covers salaried workers in the public, semi-public and private sectors

•A contributory scheme known as Self-Employed Workers’ Health Insurance, which covers all self-employed workers engaged in commerce, the liberal professions, craft and agriculture

•A scheme known as Medical Assistance, which is aimed at persons on low incomes. The implementing decrees for this Act are awaiting signature.

Article 10

(12)The Committee is concerned about the prevalence of traditional practices that violate the physical integrity and human dignity of women and girls and notes with concern that Act No. 06/PR/2002 of 15 April 2002 on the promotion of reproductive health, which prohibits female genital mutilation, early marriage, domestic violence and sexual violence, does not specify penalties for the perpetrators of such acts. The Committee notes with concern that 45 per cent of women and girls are victims of some form of genital mutilation, according to the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Chad (S/2007/400).

The Committee recommends that the State party launch awareness-raising campaigns to combat harmful traditional practices and educate parents, particularly mothers, and children and community leaders on the harmful effects of genital mutilation, which constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and that it amend Act No. 06/PR/2002 as a matter of urgency to stipulate penalties consistent with the seriousness of the offences defined in the Act. The Committee calls on the State party to take the necessary measures to eliminate harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and to provide detailed information on that subject in its next periodic report.

66.The Government has launched several programmes and projects to combat female genital mutilation, including through the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in cooperation with the United Nations system.

67.Article 318 of the Criminal Code provides that “a sentence of 1 to 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of CFAF 10,000 to CFAF 100,000 shall be imposed on anyone who harms a female person’s genital organ”.

68.Article 341 of the Criminal Code defines sexual harassment as an offence and provides that it is punishable by 6 months to 2 years’ imprisonment. This penalty for such harassment is almost doubled if the act is committed by a senior authority, or against a minor, or by a group of persons.

Percentage of girls and women who have undergone excision, disaggregated by age group

Current age group of girls and women	Percentage of girls and women who have undergone excision
Girls
0 – 4 years	1.7
5–9 years	8.7
10–14 years	23.2
Set of 0–14 years	9.9
Women
15–19 years	31.8
20–24 years	38.1
25–29 years	41.5
30–34 years	40.7
35–39 years	40.4
40–44 years	42.2
45–49 years	39.4
All women aged 15–49 years	38.4

Source: Demographic and health survey and multiple indicator cluster survey 2014–2015, page 339.

(14)The Committee is deeply concerned about the prevalence of child labour, particularly the economic exploitation and frequent ill-treatment of children who tend the herds of nomadic herders (enfants bouviers), of Qur’anic students who are sent out to beg (muhajirin) and of child domestic workers.

The Committee urges the State party to provide information in its next periodic report on the measures taken to combat child labour and to put an end to the practice of employing child livestock-herders, muhajirin and domestic workers, together with details on the outcome of such measures and the assistance provided to victims of these practices and their families.

69.In order to prevent children from being employed as livestock herders, muhajirin and domestic workers, the Government has taken steps to ensure that this concern is addressed in the new Criminal Code, the child protection code currently in the process of being adopted and Act No. 012/PR/2018 of 30 March 2018 on combating trafficking in persons in the Republic of Chad (economic exploitation, labour, ill-treatment and sexual violence). The Government has also launched a vast programme to strengthen the capacities of the actors involved in combating this phenomenon and in managing and sharing information. Training for Qur’anic teachers has also been introduced to strengthen their ability to protect children.

70.Under the Trafficking in Persons Act, child labour is considered to be labour exploitation in violation of the Labour Code (Act No. 038/PR/1996 of 11 December 1996) and the laws and regulations governing child labour.

71.In addition, a national plan to combat the worst forms of child labour, trafficking and exploitation was developed and implemented from 2008 to 2010. The child protection system is being assessed and mapped with a view to developing a national policy on combating such practices.

(15)The Committee notes with concern the presence of child soldiers, including girls, in military camps and armed groups and the method of recruitment whereby families are encouraged to send their children in exchange for payment.

The State party should put a stop to all recruitment of child soldiers, including girls, by armed groups. To this end, it should set up a monitoring system comprising regular follow-up visits to military camps and military training centres in order to prevent any further recruitment of minors. The State party should step up efforts to assist and reintegrate children who have been involved in the army.

72.Since June 2011, the Government has made efforts to uphold its solemn commitment to removing all children from its armed units. Thus, a road map has been implemented that has led to around 1,000 child soldiers being withdrawn from the armed forces and entrusted to the care of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and NGOs so that they may be reintegrated into their families and society.

73.At the end of this process, in late 2013, Chad was declared to be free of child soldiers following a joint operation between Chad and the United Nations system that was carried out in all eight of the country’s defence zones.

74.As of 2014, Chad has officially been absent from the so-called list of shame drawn up every year by the Secretary-General on States that use children in their armed forces.

75.The Head of State issued Presidential Directive No. 008/PR/EMP/2013 on respect for the minimum age of recruitment into the National Army, which establishes that the legal age for recruitment to the armed forces is 18 years. The Government has gone even further by issuing an ordinance that not only prohibits the recruitment of child soldiers but also provides for its punishment. The ordinance in question is No. 001/PR/2014 prohibiting and punishing the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

76.Unfortunately, the group Boko Haram frequently uses children to commit crimes. When these children are rescued by the regular armed forces, they are taken into the care of the Ministry for Social Action, working in partnership with UNICEF, in order to be reunited with their families. Under this partnership, a transit and guidance centre was set up in Bol, Lac Region, to accommodate children associated with Boko Haram. In 2016, 94 such children, 13 of whom were girls, were reunited with their families. In 2017, 9 children, including 2 girls, were reunited.

Article 11

(16)The Committee notes with concern that funding for social services and public infrastructure is far from adequate, despite the country’s great natural wealth and the provision under article 211 of the Constitution which states that local government must be given a share of the proceeds from land and mineral resources.

The Committee recommends that the State party take all appropriate measures, including by using oil revenues, to speed up the renovation or rebuilding of public infrastructure and social services in both urban and rural areas and to ensure that the exploitation of natural resources benefits national development and promotes public welfare.

77.Oil revenues have enabled the Government to kick-start the country’s socioeconomic development. Thus, it has built hospitals, health centres, water towers, primary schools, high schools, vocational higher education colleges, universities and provided buses for transporting students between cities. It has also established national student services centres in all public universities in the country and is undertaking a campaign to recruit large numbers of young persons to the civil service. Efforts to open up the country are under way. The main cities have electricity and are connected by asphalted roads.

(17)The Committee notes with concern that, notwithstanding the poverty reduction strategy, a high percentage of the State party’s population lives in poverty or extreme poverty, particularly the inhabitants of rural and deprived urban areas; landless persons; women; children living in households headed by a woman; families living with HIV/AIDS; persons with disabilities; and internally displaced persons. It notes in particular that the State party has yet to create an effective coordination mechanism to combat poverty.

The Committee urges the State party to take all effective measures to implement a poverty reduction strategy that integrates economic, social and cultural rights, in line with the Committee’s statement on poverty and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/2002/22-E.12/2001/17, annex VII). It recommends that the State party adopt measures to assess the impact and identify the weaknesses of its strategy. It requests the State party to include in its next periodic report comparative data, disaggregated by sex, age and rural/urban populations, together with indicators on the number of persons living in extreme poverty and on the progress made in combating poverty.

78.In accordance with the National Poverty Reduction Strategy, which was adopted in June 2003 and revised in 2008, the Government is resolutely committed to combating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It has implemented national development plans for 2003–2015 and 2017–2021 in order to reduce poverty in various areas, including health, education and infrastructure, and to modernize agriculture and promote access to drinking water and decent food.

79.Chad is classified as one of the poorest countries in the world. Its annual population growth of 3.6 per cent continues to pose a major challenge, while the vulnerability of women and children is exacerbated by regional instability and the negative impact of global factors such as climate change, the global economic crisis and sociocultural constraints. In terms of human development indicators, Chad was ranked 186th out of 187 countries in the UNDP report of 2015. Life expectancy at birth is 52.4 years (second general population and housing census, 2009). The country’s poverty is perpetuated by both short-term and structural factors. Having long been dependent on agriculture and livestock farming, the Chadian economy was boosted by oil production in 2003 but has been in decline since 2015 owing to the fall in oil prices on the international market. In spite of its efforts, the Government continues to face major budgetary challenges as a result of the significant costs of countering terrorism and ensuring the smooth running of the State. In response, it has taken various measures to combat poverty, such as the adoption of the 2017–2021 National Development Plan. A forum was organized in Paris to raise funds from technical and financial partners for the implementation of this policy, which is a genuine tool for development planning. The pledges made as a result of that event amounted to around US$ 24 billion.

80.Since 2016, Chad has been piloting a social safety net project to provide direct assistance to 15,000 poor and vulnerable households in rural and urban areas in three provinces of the country (Logone Occidental, Bahr el-Gazel and an outlying district of N’Djamena).

81.The Project for Women’s Empowerment and the Demographic Dividend in the Sahel, which includes a component related to reducing women’s poverty through income-generating activities and microcredit, is also being implemented.

(18)The Committee is deeply concerned about the chronic food insecurity experienced by a large section of the population.

The Committee recommends that the State party set up, and provide sufficient funding for, programmes designed to ensure for everyone, especially the most disadvantaged and marginalized persons and social groups, physical and economic access to the minimum of essential food that is sufficient, nutritionally adequate and safe to ensure freedom from hunger, in line with the Committee’s general comment No. 12 on the right to adequate food (1999) and its statement on the world food crisis (E/C.12/2008/1).

82.The Government allocates 10 per cent of its budget to agriculture in order to assist disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and social groups. In this connection, it has set up the National Food Security Programme and the National Office of Food Security, which has 55 warehouses throughout the country in which, each year, the Government keeps large stocks of food products that it resells at subsidized prices during lean periods. In 2015, it recruited 392 agricultural advisers, whom it made available to the National Office for Rural Development. These institutions have now been merged and transformed into the National Agency for Rural Development. The Agency has taken several initiatives to improve agricultural management by making use of agricultural advisers deployed throughout the country. The Government has also created a microcredit fund for women and young persons in urban and rural areas.

83.An ambitious programme to modernize and mechanize agriculture has provided farmers with inputs, seeds and 1,500 tractors. The programme has made it possible to produce more than 3.7 million tons of cereal per year and is an important step towards achieving food security. In view of the poor management of tractors, the State has had to hand over their management to dynamic farmers’ organizations.

84.Public expenditure on agriculture and subsidized food is as follows: CFAF 229.08 billion in 2014; CFAF 114.34 billion in 2015; CFAF 37.48 billion in 2016; CFAF 61,963,464,000 in 2019; and CFAF 70,350,643,000 in 2020 (source: Ministry of Production, Irrigation and Agricultural Infrastructure). The decrease in the budget is a consequence of both the economic and financial crisis experienced by the country and of the fight against terrorism. Out of concern for the welfare of especially vulnerable persons, the Government has set up a department for vulnerable persons within the Ministry for Social Action.

(19)The Committee notes with concern the State party’s statement that the entire population, except for a very few people living in city centres, lacks basic amenities such as drinking water, waste removal, sanitary facilities and electricity.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure access to drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities in all rural and urban communities, if necessary by seeking international cooperation and assistance.

85.The Government has made considerable efforts and undertaken a number of fundamental structural reforms to increase the rates of access to drinking water and sanitation. These efforts have led to significant improvements in the rates, which rose from 53 per cent to 61.78 per cent and from 7 per cent to 18 per cent, respectively, as at 31 December 2017. However, it should be noted that these national averages conceal interregional disparities, particularly between urban and rural areas, with urban areas having higher rates of coverage than rural areas.

86.The following infrastructure works have been completed, with support from technical and financial partners, to increase access to drinking water and sanitation.

(a)Access to drinking water

Type of water engineering works completed	No. of works in 2017	National rate of coverage in 2017	Rate of access projected for 2030	No. of additional works to be built	No. of additional works to be restored/ reinforced
Human-powered pumps	13 360	61.78%	80%	11 000	9 900
Drinking water supply systems	352	61.78%	80%	11 000	9 900
Pastoral water engineering works (pastoral wells, ponds, small-scale dams, pastoral watering stations, etc.)	1 679	28%	80%	4 775	457

(b)Sanitation

87.Despite the Government’s efforts to increase communities’ level of access to sanitation, the sector remains the weak link in the national policy that covers the issue. A World Bank report on the water and sanitation sector in Chad estimated that the rate of access to sanitation in 2017 was only 18 per cent, while the country has committed to achieving a rate of 60 per cent by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals.

88.The table below shows what the needs will be in 2030 for individual and semi-communal sanitation facilities.

	Traditional latrines to be approved	Improved latrines to be built	Infiltration sump to be completed	“ Sakane ” pots to be provided for hand-washing	Public latrines to be completed
Towns or cities with under 10,000 inhabitants	130 558	1 644 142	2 062 058	206 206	734
Towns or cities with between 25,000 and 100,000 inhabitants	22 591	170 598	207 261	20 726	235
Towns or cities with over 100,000 inhabitants	193 924	11 506	86 060	116 355	158

89.Sanitation services are generally provided in hospitals, municipal districts and communes.

90.The Government’s efforts to facilitate access to drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities and thereby safeguard the health of the population have led to:

•12,000 human-powered pumps having been installed or being installed, with support from a project to improve the drinking water supply

•The existence of more than 270 drinking water supply systems (water towers)

91.The rates of access to drinking water and sanitation have increased from 21 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, in 2000 to 52.5 per cent and 18 per cent in 2015 (third national consumption and informal sector survey, 2011).

92.An average of $23 million in official development assistance was spent on the water and sanitation sector in Chad each year from 2000 to 2016. In 2016, more than $31.4 million was spent on the sector, slightly less than the $36.4 million spent in 2015.

(20)The Committee is concerned about the high proportion of the population that is homeless and the lack of effective measures to provide social housing for low-income, vulnerable and marginalized individuals and groups living in informal settlements, most of whom are deprived of affordable access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities.

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt a comprehensive set of housing plans and policies and allocate sufficient budgetary resources to guarantee their implementation, especially for low-income, vulnerable or marginalized individuals and groups.The Committee also recommends that the State party take immediate measures to ensure affordable access to clean water and proper sanitation, in line with the Committee’s general comment No. 15 (2002) on the right to water.The Committee also requests the State party to include in its next periodic report data, broken down by sex, age and rural/urban population, on the phenomenon of homelessness.

93.Fundamental human rights and human dignity are mentioned in the preamble to the Constitution. The Government consistently provides assistance to vulnerable and marginalized people, especially those affected by floods and other natural disasters. A total of CFAF 3 billion have been distributed in areas struck by disasters for the provision not only of shelters, but also of land to provide a lasting solution to the problem. The areas will have an urban development plan that will enable the population to lead a decent life. To this end, under the Ministry of Land-Use Planning, Urban Development and Housing, the Government has signed 14 protocols and 2 contracts to create social housing.

94.The Housing Bank, which provides housing loans, was established as part of this approach.

(21)The Committee is concerned about the large number of forced evictions and housing demolitions that have taken place in districts of N’Djamena without prior notice being provided or adequate alternative housing or compensation being offered.

The Committee recommends that the State party take appropriate measures to ensure that forced evictions are used only as a last resort and that it adopt effective legislative or other measures strictly defining the circumstances and safeguards subject to which evictions may be carried out, in line with the Committee’s general comment No. 7 (1997) on the right to adequate housing (article11 (1) of the Covenant) and forced evictions. The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure that victims of forced eviction are provided with appropriate compensation or alternative housing, that evictions are not carried out without those affected being consulted and that victims have access to an effective remedy. It requests the State party to include in its next periodic report data on forced evictions, disaggregated by sex, age and rural/urban population.

95.Chad is a State ruled by law that has a domestic legal system underpinned by the Constitution, and it has ratified many relevant international conventions.

96.The expropriation of property is a matter governed by the law. Article 17 of the Constitution states: “The human being is sacred and inviolable. All individuals have the right to life, the integrity of their person, security, liberty and the protection of their privacy and property.”

97.It should be noted that the people of Chad tend not to respect the laws of the Republic. Many of them do not heed the provisions of the law, in particular of the Property Code, that guarantee property rights.

98.What happened in N’Djamena was more a case of individuals squatting on State lands in an anarchical manner. It was therefore simply a question of requiring them to leave.

Article 12

(22)While taking note of the detailed and informative statistics provided in paragraphs 193 to 206 of the State party’s report, on the subject of article 12 of the Covenant, the Committee is concerned about the high maternal, infant and under-5mortality rates, the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the shortage of health professionals in rural areas and the mediocre quality of health services.The Committee regrets that no information on the results of the national health policy launched in 1998 has been provided.

The Committee urges the State party to take steps to deal with the current situation in the health sector, where the basic health needs of the population are not being met, including by improving basic health services, increasing public spending on health and taking measures to prevent and treat the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other sexually transmitted infections.The Committee also recommends that the State party take into account the Committee’s general comment No. 14 (2000) on the right to the highest attainable standard of health.It requests the State party to provide detailed and up-to-date information in its next report, including indicators and disaggregated statistical data, that will allow the Committee to assess progress in this area.

99.The Government has made the Ministry of Public Health a focus of attention and a priority department, giving it the needed resources and motivating workers in the sector by granting them a special status. To make this possible, a large share of oil revenue is allocated to the Ministry.

100.In order to further improve services in the sector, the Government, in close collaboration with its partners, has adopted such programmes and projects as the:

•National Programme to Combat AIDS

•National Reproductive Health Programme

•National Programme to Combat Tuberculosis

•Expanded Programme on Immunization

•Health and Nutrition Programme

•National Programme for the Integrated Care of Mother and Child

•2018–2021 National Health Development Plan

•National Strategy for Universal Health Coverage in Chad

101.In addition to these programmes and projects, the Government has introduced a monthly meeting chaired personally by the President to monitor and assess the activities of the various actors playing a role in this highly sensitive sector.

(a)HIV situation in Chad in 2015

102.According to the 2014–2015 demographic and health survey, HIV prevalence nationwide is 1.6 per cent, a reduction of more than a half compared to 2005, when it was 3.3 per cent. Prevalence by gender, age and area of residence is as follows:

•1.8 per cent among women, who are more affected than men, with prevalence among men being 1.3 per cent

•4.3 per cent in urban areas, which are more affected than rural areas, where the rate of prevalence is 0.6 per cent

•5.3 per cent in Borkou and Tibesti and 4 per cent in N’Djamena, the areas where prevalence is highest, and 0.1 per cent in Logone Oriental, where it is lowest

•Very low, 1.1 per cent, among young people between 15 and 24 years of age, with 1.4 per cent among girls and 0.7 per cent among boys, i.e. a ratio of two girls to one boy, or 200 girls infected for every 100 boys in this age group

•1.25 per cent seroprevalence among pregnant women in 2015

•3.3 per cent seroprevalence in the Chadian National Army in 2014, 2.9 per cent among men and 9.3 per cent among women

(b)Changes in the epidemiological situation among the general public from 2015 to 2019

103.Number of persons living with HIV: 110,000

•Number of treatment centres: 88 centres in 2015 and 112 in 2018

•Persons living with HIV (adults and children) receiving antiretrovirals: 61,402 at the end of 2018

•Percentage of persons living with HIV who receive antiretrovirals: 55.82 per cent in 2018, up from 40.2 per cent in 2016

•Survival of persons living with HIV 12 months after the start of antiretroviral therapy: 67.8 per cent in 2016, compared to 90.6 per cent in 2013

•Access to viral load testing: almost zero, at only 0.2 per cent

•Training: 500 doctors and 900 paramedics

•1,087 out of 1,491 operational health units offer services to prevent mother-to-child transmission

•Number of pregnant women seen in antenatal consultation who were tested for HIV and received their results in 2017: 302,871 and 374,417, respectively, of whom 3,968 tested positive

104.Regional rates of prevalence were calculated on the basis of a nationwide survey conducted in 2018 and are shown in the chart below.

105.Chad held an international health forum from 27 to 28 April 2012 and then an international pharmaceutical forum from 5 to 8 June 2012.

106.Health facilities, with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, offer free treatment to people affected by poliomyelitis, malaria, tuberculosis, Guinea worm, cholera, HIV/AIDS, meningitis and yellow fever.

107.The national health policy launched in 1998 has made it possible to structure the country’s health system, standardize treatment fees and get medicines to regional supply pharmacies, so as to ensure that medication is available in all health centres.

108.Thanks to the efforts of the Government and its partners, the country is moving towards certification of poliomyelitis eradication. The following table presents a breakdown of the current situation.

Table 1.1

National health programmes

No.	Title	Funding sources
1	Sectoral Programme to Combat AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections	State, Global Fund
2	National Programme for the Elimination of Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis	State, African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control-WHO
3	National Programme to Combat Leprosy	State, Fondation Raoul Follereau, WHO, Mission Evangélique contre la Lèpre
4	National Programme to Prevent Blindness	State
5	National Tuberculosis Programme	State, Global Fund, WHO
6	National Programme to Combat Human African Trypanosomiasis	State, WHO
7	National Programme to Combat Diarrhoea and Acute Respiratory Diseases	State, UNICEF
8	National Programme to Combat Food-borne Diseases	State
9	National Programme to Eradicate Guinea Worm	State, Carter Center
10	National Mental Health Programme	State
11	Iodine Deficiency Disorders Programme	State
12	National Anti-Malaria Programme	State, Global Fund, Islamic Development Bank, WHO, UNICEF, UNDP
13	National Anti-Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programme	State, WHO
14	National Coordination Programme for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV	State, UNICEF, WHO
15	National Health Programme for Nomads, Islanders and Hard‑to‑Reach Populations	State
16	National Coordination Programme on Fistula	State, UNFPA
17	National Programme to Combat Diabetes	State
18	National Programme to Combat Cancer	State
19	National Oral Health Programme	State

Source : Health Statistics Yearbook 2017 .

(23)The Committee notes with concern the alarming situation with regard to the population’s right to sexual and reproductive health and the lack of basic sexual and reproductive health services in the State party.

The Committee recommends that the State party should adopt specific measures to develop basic sexual and reproductive health services and care and should carry out educational programmes on sexual and reproductive health.

109.Like all the States Members of the United Nations that participated in the International Conference on Population and Development, Chad has adopted the definition of reproductive health contained in article 7: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes”. It has also addressed the dimensions and components of reproductive health in its national policy, with the Government aiming, first in its 2013–2015 National Development Plan and then in its Plan for the period 2017–2021, to reduce the:

•Maternal mortality rate from 1,200 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008 to 275 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015

•Neonatal mortality rate from 48 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004 to 12 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015

•Infant and child mortality from 109 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004 to 64 deaths per 1,000 live births

110.Assessments have shown that indicators for maternal health (860 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, Millennium Development Goal 5) and infant and child mortality (191 per thousand in 2009 to 133 per thousand in 2014, Millennium Development Goal 4) are still off target. On the other hand, initiatives such as those to introduce free emergency care and revitalize health centres have helped to increase health coverage from 70.1 per cent in 2005 to 80.0 per cent in 2013.

111.In addition, the Government has made antenatal consultations and contraceptives available free of charge.

112.As a whole, government investment in the health sector since 2003 has led to Chadians’ life expectancy increasing from 47 to 54 years, a gain of seven years. The latest UNDP report on the human development index attests to this development, but further efforts are still needed.

(24)The Committee notes with concern the serious health risks posed by the contamination of groundwater and rainwater arising from the fact that in 2000 more than 70 per cent of the population lacked proper toilets, while only 24 per cent had access to an adequate sewage system.

The Committee urges the State party to provide all rural and urban communities with appropriate systems for ensuring access to drinking water and to adequate sanitation infrastructure, if necessary by seeking international assistance and cooperation.

113.Access to drinking water is provided by the Société Tchadienne des Eaux in some urban centres. In other towns and cities and in rural areas, the Ministry of Water and the communes are responsible for the supply of drinking water.

114.Regular sanitation services are provided by the sanitation departments of hospitals and municipal districts. To boost the departments’ capacity, the Government has issued the city of N’Djamena with 125 heavy vehicles and 30,000 waste containers. This equipment comprises 65 refuse collection vehicles, 5road cleaning and maintenance vehicles, 5septic tank pumping trucks, 20 heavy-duty vehicles and 20 skips for public works. Public latrines have also been built in municipal districts, in the vicinity of public spaces such as marketplaces. This initiative is to be extended to other communes throughout the country:

•The rates of access to sanitation and water increased from 12 per cent and 46 per cent in 2010 to 18 per cent in 2017 and then to 24 per cent and 67 per cent in 2019, with a rate of 60 per cent being projected for 2030 (source: Water Resources Directorate).

•The rate of access to drinking water was 61.78 per cent in 2017 and is projected to be 80 per cent in 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (Health Statistics Yearbook of the Ministry of Public Health).

115.Also noteworthy are a 2017 national sanitation policy and strategy, the preparation of a road map for a Chad without open defecation by 2030 and the presence of significant quantities of underground and surface water resources (between 253 and 544 billion m² per year).

Article 13

(25)While noting that article 35 of the Constitution guarantees that every citizen has the right to education, that public education is guaranteed and that basic education is compulsory, the Committee regrets that the State party has not provided an adequate reply concerning the application of these provisions, particularly with regard to poor children from rural and urban areas and indigenous children, thus preventing the Committee from assessing the implementation of this constitutional guarantee.The Committee commends the 10-year programme adopted by the State party to support the reform of the education system over the period 2004–2015, but notes with concern the high school dropout rate in the poorest regions of the country, particularly rural areas.

The Committee requests the State party to indicate, in its periodic report, to what extent compulsory primary education is provided free of charge to all children in the State party, including poor children in urban and rural areas and indigenous children.In this regard, the Committee refers the State party to its obligations under article 14 of the Covenant, which require it to secure “compulsory primary education free of charge for all”.The Committee recommends that the State party, in implementing its national plan on education, take into account the Committee’s general comments Nos. 11 and 13 (1999) and establish an effective monitoring mechanism for the plan.The State party is also encouraged to seek advice on technical assistance from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the implementation of its plan.

116.Given that a high proportion of the population – approximately 80 per cent – is illiterate, the Government has made basic education compulsory and free.

117.Community teachers have been hired by parents’ associations to supplement teaching staffs in an effort to address the teacher shortage in schools. The State is covering the costs for a portion of the community teachers, who number 15,000. These community teachers receive teacher training that will improve their teaching skills so that they can become professional community teachers. Others have been put under government contracts. More than 11,500 classrooms and 22 training schools have been built and equipped.

118.There were 1,177 lower secondary schools – of which 76.3 per cent were public, 16.2 per cent were private and 7.5 per cent were community schools – in the 2015/16 school year, compared to 1,109 in the 2014/15 school year. This amounts to 68 more schools than the previous year, an increase of about 6 per cent.

119.There were 377,589 students during the 2015/16 school year, compared to 356,677 the previous year, which means that the number of children in lower secondary schools increased by 20,912 between the 2014/15 and 2015/16 school years. By type of school, 81.2 per cent of the students were in public schools, 13.6 per cent in private schools and 5.2 per cent in community schools. Girls accounted for 33 per cent of all students.

120.There are 10,603 lower secondary school teachers, of whom only 6.7 per cent are women. They are divided into volunteer temporary teachers, staff with teacher status at general lower secondary schools and others. These groups represent, respectively, 30.2 per cent, 23.7 per cent and 25.6 per cent of the teaching staff. Of the 10,603 lower secondary school teachers, 42.9 per cent have received their baccalaureate, 22.2 per cent have gone on to do two years of higher education, 25.7 per cent have gone on to do three years of higher education, and only 8.1 per cent have gone on to do five years of higher education. Of these teachers, 85 per cent are French-speaking, 6.2 per cent are Arabic-speaking and 7.9 per cent are bilingual.

121.It was found that there were 5,571 classrooms, 53.8 per cent of which were in poor condition, and 6,716 classes in the 2015/16 school year. Nationwide, the ratio of students to teachers was 56 to 1.

122.Overall, the cost of running lower secondary schools amounts to CFAF 2,409,934,598. Most of the funding comes from school fees, which account for 90.2 per cent of the total, parents’ associations and other school funds, for 5.8 per cent, non-governmental organizations, 3.2 per cent, and the State, 0.7 per cent. Most of this amount is used to pay teachers, who alone account for more than half of overall expenditure.

123.The gross school enrolment ratio provides a basis for assessing the school enrolment efforts of the State and its partners in terms of capacity. In 2020, the nationwide gross school enrolment ratio was 29.4 per cent – 18.8 per cent for girls and 40.7 per cent for boys. Behind this indicator, there are significant disparities between regions. The Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Region has the highest ratio, at 73.3 per cent, or 52.7 per cent for girls and 95 per cent for boys. The Bahr el-Gazel Region has the lowest ratio, at 1.1 per cent. Article 42 of the Constitution of 4 May 2018 provides: “Parents have an inherent right and a duty to raise and educate their children. They are supported in this task by the State and the regional and local authorities.”

124.The National Committee for the Elimination of Illiteracy in Chad was established under Decree No. 006/PR/MEN/90. A literacy department was created at the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences to train literacy advisers, who will focus on teaching literacy.

125.Basic education is one of the priority sectors in Chad, and the enrolment ratio in primary school is 25 per cent.

(33)The Committee is concerned about the persistently high illiteracy rate in the State party, which is higher among women than men.It also notes with concern the preference traditionally given to male children where education is concerned.

The Committee urges the State party to take all effective measures to improve the literacy rate, particularly among women.It recommends that the State party step up its efforts to provide girls and boys with equal access to education.It urges the State party to implement a comprehensive national plan on education for all, as required under paragraph 16 of the Dakar Framework for Action, taking into account the Committee’s general comments Nos. 11 and 13 (1999) and general comment No. 1 (2001) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the aims of education.The Committee also requests the State party to provide detailed information in its next periodic report on the measures taken to improve the quality of education and to promote equal opportunities for all in education, including in vocational training.The Committee encourages the State party to consider ratifying the 1960 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention against Discrimination in Education.

126.Article 13 of the Constitution provides that Chadians of both sexes have the same rights and duties and are equal before the law. Article 38 adds that every citizen has the right to an education, basic public education is secular and free, and basic education and community service are compulsory. The Government has made education a priority in its action plan by giving teachers not only bonuses but also a special status.

127.The Government notes this recommendation and will work to ratify the Convention against Discrimination in Education as soon as possible. Certain important steps have, however, already been taken and implemented, including the adoption and implementation of Act No. 007/PR/2007 on the protection of persons with disabilities and Order No. 377/MEN/DG/95 on exemption from registration fees for schoolchildren and university students with disabilities.

128.Additionally, under the framework of cooperation between Chad and UNICEF, the Government drew up a national strategy for orphans and other vulnerable children in 2011 and an interim education plan for the country for the period 2018–2020, which builds on the 2013–2015 Interim Strategy for Education and Literacy.

Article 14

(34)The Committee regrets the lack of information on the measures taken by the State party to preserve, protect and promote the right to take part in cultural life.

The Committee requests the State party to include in its next report information on the measures that it has taken to preserve, protect and promote the right to take part in cultural life.

129.Citizens are guaranteed the right to participate in cultural life under articles 33 and 34 of the Constitution. Every Chadian citizen has the right to culture, and it is the duty of the State to safeguard the national values of civilization. All Chadians have the right to the creation, protection and enjoyment of their intellectual and artistic works.

130.In the interests of promoting national culture, the Government established the Ministry of Culture in August 2011. Decree No. 408/PR/PM/MC/2012 of 20 March 2011 approving the framework document for the development of the cultural and artistic development policy in Chad was adopted to put the country’s cultural policy into practice.

131.The Government has taken the following measures:

•Creation of the National Library by Ordinance No. 007/PR/2011

•Creation of the regional offices of culture

•Regulation of cultural and artistic events in Chad

•Regulation of cultural and artistic events by Circular No. 031/PR/PM/MCJS/DGC/SG/DASC/10 of 9 November 2010

•Recovery of the skeletal remains of Toumaï

•Creation of the National Fund for the Support of Artists by Ordinance No. 12/PR/2011 of 24 February 2011

•Organization of the annual Miss Chad competition

•Organization of the annual Dary Festival, which brings together the 23 regions during the last two weeks of December for cultural exchanges with the entire nation

•Support for the organization of traditional dance festivals

•National Youth Day

•Annual Music Festival

•Promotion of literature, film and music

•Promotion of tourism through the creation of the National Office for the Promotion of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Arts

•Inclusion of certain sites, such as the Ennedi Massif, the Guelta d’Archeï and the Lakes of Ounianga in the World Heritage List

•Introduction of oryxes to the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Wildlife Reserve and black rhinoceroses to Zakouma National Park, the full protection of manatees in Lake Léré and the rehabilitation and equipping of reading and cultural activity centres

•Ratification of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance on 3 September 2012

•Regular holding of a national school and university sports week

•Establishment of holiday camps

•Creation of the National Office for Youth and Sport

132.The Government, through the National Office for Media and Broadcasting, has created and supported a network of regional stations to promote local cultures and languages.

(35)The Committee is concerned about the system of exploitation of natural resources in the State party, which adversely affects the land and the way of life of indigenous peoples, depriving them of rights related to their ancestral lands and cultural identities.

The Committee recommends that the State party adopt specific measures to protect the cultural identity and ancestral land of the indigenous population.

133.Chad does not have an indigenous population on its territory within the meaning of ILO Convention No. 169.

(36)The Committee recommends that the State party provide economic, social and cultural rights education to students at all levels, and extensive human rights training for members of all professions and sectors with a direct role in the promotion and protection of human rights, including judges, lawyers, civil servants, teachers, law enforcement officers, immigration officers, the police and the military.

The Committee requests the State party to provide in its next periodic report an exact list of all the international conventions on environmental protection to which it is a party. It also requests the State party to provide details of the respective mandates of the Ministry of the Environment and the National High Committee on the Environment. The Committee wishes to know if the State party, as a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, benefits from the subregional and Global Environment Facility programmes of action for the implementation of the Convention.

134.Environmental protection in Chad is guaranteed by article 57 of the current Constitution and Act No. 014/PR/98 of 17 August 1998, establishing the general principles for environmental protection. The Act establishes the general principles governing environmental protection in Chad and prohibits any pollution that might compromise or endanger individual or public health or the safety or welfare of persons, or cause damage to property or harm to the environment. An enforcement agency, the National High Committee on the Environment, was established to implement the Government’s environmental policies and strategies.

135.The Government has taken action on several international conventions, namely:

•African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, ratified on 15 September 1968

•Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement of and Management of all Forms of Hazardous Wastes within Africa, ratified on 27 January 1991

•United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed on 9 May 1992

•Convention on Biological Diversity, signed on 5 June 1992

•Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, signed on 16 May 1982

•Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, signed on 2 February 1971

•Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, signed in Paris on 14 October 1994

•Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, signed on 22 March 1985

•Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, signed on 1 April 1983

•Convention to Combat Desertification, signed on 17 June 1993

•International Convention concerning the Transit of Animals, Meat and Other Products of Animal Origin, signed on 20 February 1995

•Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity, signed on 20 January 2000

•Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, ratified in 1989

•Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, signed in New York on 21 May 1987

•Paris Agreement on climate change, signed on 12 December 2015 at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and ratified on 17 January 2017

•Minamata Convention on Mercury, opened for signature on 10 October 2013 and ratified by 16 August 2017

136.The implementation of these agreements has enabled Chad to draw up programmes of action that have contributed to the protection and development of natural resources. The following are among the major policies carried out in this area:

At the institutional level

•Implementation of the National Programme for the Development of Green Belts around Chadian cities, which was established in 2008 and combined with the “10 Million Trees” operation throughout the country

•Active involvement of Chad in the development of the Great Green Wall initiative

•Development of the National Climate Change Adaptation Programme in 2009

•Establishment of new protected areas, in particular the creation of the Sena Oura National Park, adjacent to the Bouba Ndjida National Park in Cameroon, with the prospect of forming a Chad-Cameroon cross-border protected area

•Implementation of the national framework for climate services in Chad for 2016–2020

•Development of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2017–2021

•Development of the National Strategy to Combat Climate Change in Chad in 2016

•Adoption of the nationally determined contribution to the global response to climate change in 2015

•Launch of the country programming framework for 2012–2016

•Development of a Green Climate Fund Country Programme in 2019

At the operational level

•Implementation of four projects under the Global Climate Change Alliance (2016–2019), namely (i) the project to support sustainable and diversified agricultural production adapted to climate variability and change, to build the resilience of households through the introduction of innovative agricultural techniques in the Lake Region; (ii) the project to promote soil fertility management and support climate change-resilient agriculture in the Mandoul Region; (iii) the project to promote the concerted management of pastoral resources in the Gara/Salamat plain for integrated and sustainable conservation in the peripheral zone of Zakouma National Park; and (iv) the project to improve information, education and communication for rural and suburban populations on adaptation to climate change

•Implementation of a draft design support project on funding of the Green Climate Fund with a view to establishing a framework for dialogue and mobilization of climate funds (2017–2019)

•Validation of a project to strengthen local communities’ resilience to climate change for the period 2020–2022

137.The implementation of these agreements has enabled Chad to draw up programmes of action that have contributed to the protection and development of natural resources. The following are among the major policies carried out in this area:

•Implementation of the National Programme for the Development of Green Belts around Chadian cities, which was established in 2008 and combined with the “10 Million Trees” operation throughout the country

•Active involvement of Chad in the development of the Great Green Wall initiative

•Development of the National Climate Change Adaptation Programme

•Establishment of new protected areas, in particular the creation of the Sena Oura National Park, adjacent to the Bouba Ndjida National Park in Cameroon, with the prospect of forming a Chad-Cameroon cross-border protected area

Conclusion

138.The Government of Chad is concerned with human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights. It has taken appropriate measures for the implementation of the Covenant at the domestic level so that citizens aspire to peace and the enjoyment of the rights contained in the Covenant.

(37)The Committee strongly recommends that the State party draw on the technical assistance offered by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the relevant United Nations specialized agencies and programmes in its efforts to realize economic, social and cultural rights in accordance with its international legal obligations under the Covenant and when preparing and submitting its next report and following up on the present concluding observations.

139.Active cooperation with our partners has allowed for the opening of the OHCHR country office and capacity-building support from the OHCHR Regional Office in Yaoundé. Following OHCHR training, the Interministerial Committee organized a workshop to prepare the first draft of the report. In order to produce a consensus report, the Government of Chad opted for a participatory and inclusive approach by involving all stakeholders in the national workshop to validate the report.

(38)The Committee recommends that the State party consider ratifying the following ILO conventions: the Unemployment Convention, 1919 (No. 2); the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102); the Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117); the Equality of Treatment (Social Security) Convention, 1962 (No. 118); the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160); the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169); and the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention, 1993 (No. 174).

140.The Government has already ratified ILO Conventions No. 102 and No. 122 and is committed to examining the feasibility of ratifying the other conventions.

(39)The Committee recommends that the State party consider ratifying the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol thereto.

141.Chad has already ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

(40)The Committee invites the State party to update its core document in accordance with the instructions on the common core document set out in the harmonized guidelines on reporting which were recently approved by the international human rights treaty bodies.

142.Chad has already updated its common core document and submitted it to the competent body in 2019.

(41)The Committee encourages the State party to consider ratifying the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

143.Chad is aware of the situation and will take steps to ratify the Convention.

(42)The Committee requests the State party to disseminate the present concluding observations widely at all levels of society, in particular among State officials, members of the judiciary and civil society organizations, and to inform the Committee in its next periodic report on the steps taken to implement them. It also encourages the State party to include non-governmental organizations and other members of civil society in the national discussions that are held prior to the submission of its next periodic report.

144.The participatory approach and the dissemination of recommendations are already being taken into account by the Government.

(43)The Committee requests the State party to submit its fourth and fifth periodic reports by 30 June 2012.

Considerable efforts are being made to address the Committee’s concerns. The present report is quite in keeping with this process, as it covers the period 2012 to 2020.