Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Sixth periodic report submitted by Angola under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant, due in 2021 *

[Date received: 31 May 2023]

Contents

Page

I.Introduction and methodology for the preparation of the report4

Development of the normative and institutional framework for the protection of human rights in Angola4

II.Measures taken for the progressive implementation of economic, social and cultural rights in response to the Committee’s general recommendations5

Justiciability of Covenant rights5

Maximum available resources5

Administration of justice7

National human rights institutions9

Data collection9

Civil society10

III.Policies, strategies and programmes for the implementation of the rights set out in the Covenant, and coordination and monitoring mechanisms, based on the Committee’s recommendations11

Articles 1 and 211

Ethnolinguistic minorities11

Article 212

Anti-discrimination legislation12

Asylum-seekers and refugees13

Article 314

Equality between men and women14

Article 616

Right to work16

Minimum wage19

Article 719

Informal economy19

Just and favourable conditions of work20

Article 821

Trade union rights21

Article 922

Social security22

Article 1022

Harmful practices22

Birth registration24

Article 1126

Poverty and inequality26

Right to decent housing28

Right to food28

Article 1230

Access to health care30

Right to sexual and reproductive health31

Articles 13 and 1432

Right to education32

Article 1534

Minority (or national) languages34

Access to the Internet34

Other general recommendations34

Ratification of international human rights treaties34

Indicators related to economic, social and cultural rights35

Dissemination of the Committee’s recommendations35

Final considerations36

List of figures

Figure 1: Table 1: General State budget allocated to the social sector, 2013–20216

Figure 2: Number of registered civil society organizations, 2013–202210

Figure 3: Representation of women, 2012–202215

Figure 4: Net jobs created, by gender, 2018–202217

Figure 5: Net jobs created, by sector, 2018–202217

Figure 6: Number of strikes, 2018–202221

Figure 7: Domestic violence, 2017–202224

Figure 8: Types of violence (percentage), 2017–202224

Figure 9: Internet access, 2017–202234

I.Introduction and methodology for the preparation of the report

1.The Republic of Angola is a democratic State governed by the rule of law. It became independent in 1975 and experienced a period of war until 2022. General elections were held in 1992 (inconclusive), 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2022. The President of the Republic, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, was elected in August 2022.

2.The present report has been prepared on the basis of the commitments of Angola in the field of human rights.

3.In 2016, in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Angola introduced and defended its periodic report, on which the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights made recommendations.

4.The present report has been prepared by the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up and the Intersectoral Committee for the Preparation of National Human Rights Reports. In addition to detailed information on the legislative and policy measures adopted during the reporting period (2017–2023), the present report contains a consideration of the concerns of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, expressed in the concluding observations on the fourth and fifth periodic reports of Angola (E/C.12/AGO/4‑5), with the aim of ensuring that the State honours its commitments, improves and strengthens its cooperation with the Committee and respect for citizens’ human rights, and monitors the implementation of the measures taken.

Development of the normative and institutional framework for the protection of human rights in Angola

5.Before responding to the follow-up questions, we would like to list some of the most significant measures taken to promote and protect human rights for the implementation of the Covenant during the reporting period:

(a)National development plan 2018–2022.

(b)National development plan 2012–2016.

(c)Approval of the national human rights strategy and its action plan (Presidential Decree No. 100/20 of 14 April 2020).

(d)National action plan to combat trafficking in persons (Presidential Decree No. 31/20 of 14 February 2020).

(e)Criminal Code of Angola (Act No. 38/20 of 11 November 2020) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (Act No. 39/20 of 11 November 2020), which contain various provisions aligned with human rights conventions.

(f)Act No. 10/16 of 27 July 2016, on accessibility.

(g)Act No. 27/20 of 20 July 2020, on the Ombudsperson.

(h)Act No. 29/20 of 28 July 2020, on the status of the Ombudsperson.

(i)Act No. 13/19 of 23 May 2019, on the legal framework for foreigners in the Republic of Angola and its regulations.

(j)Presidential Decree No. 200/18 of 27 August 2018, establishing the National Council for Refugees.

(k)Migration policy of Angola, adopted by Presidential Decree No. 318/18 of 31 December 2018.

(l)Presidential Decree No. 295/20 of 18 November 2020, on the legal framework for compulsory social protection.

(m)National social action policy and the respective operationalization strategy (Presidential Decree No. 37/21 of 8 February 2021).

(n)Presidential Decree No. 140/18 of 6 July 2018, establishing the integrated programme for local development and the fight against poverty.

(o)National plan of action for the elimination of child labour.

(p)Civil Service Framework Act (Act No. 26/22 of 22 August 2022).

(q)Act No. 31/22 of 30 August 2022, on the Code of Administrative Procedure and Disputes.

II.Measures taken for the progressive implementation of economic, social and cultural rights in response to the Committee’s general recommendations

Justiciability of Covenant rights

6.Under article 26 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola, on fundamental rights, Angolan courts apply the international instruments ratified by the Republic of Angola in the consideration of disputes concerning fundamental rights, even if those instruments have not been invoked by the parties concerned.

7.For example, in recent years there have been several cases in which various covenants have been cited by the courts:

Constitutional Court judgment No. 793/2022, on the right to work and employment stability (article 16 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).

Constitutional Court judgment No. 123/2010, which contains references to the principles of equality before the law, the right to take proceedings before a court and the right not to be subjected to arbitrary arrest (articles 9, 10 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights).

Constitutional Court judgment No. 121/2012, on special remedies, brought by one of the parties, in which references are made to article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right to equality before the courts.

Constitutional Court judgment No. 130/2011, on a posteriori review, proposed by the Order of Attorneys of Angola, in which references are made to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (articles 11, 18, 19 and 20), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (articles 9, 10 and 11) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 14).

Constitutional Court judgment No. 486/2017 and Supreme Court judgment No. 1773/2011, which contain references to article 61 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right to life.

Constitutional Court judgment No. 489/2010, on the principle of protection of minors.

Luanda District Court judgments Nos. 1168/21-C and 1169/21-C, on the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, regarding freedom of religion and belief, money-laundering, women’s rights and employment.

8.In order to strengthen and improve the direct applicability of international treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in the Courts, this subject is included in the human rights module of the National Institute of Judicial Studies, aimed at judges and prosecutors in office.

Maximum available resources

9.Under the national development plan 2018–2022 and the government programme for the current legislature, the general State budget allocated to social sectors, in particular health and education, has increased and the aim is to increase it further. See figure 1.

Figure 1

Table 1

General State budget allocated to the social sector, 2013–2021 ( Millions of kwanzas )

	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Social sector	1 980 181	2 202 739	1 387 566	1 092 324	1 407 402	1 474 046	1 771 661	1 977 070	2 611 572
Education (including higher education)	496 469	405 103	420 349	382 162	410 796	425 845	658 382	669 625	755 229
Health	317 507	276 185	193 199	197 156	210 577	255 630	346 435	561 819	808 102
Social protection	836 741	858 822	543 988	371 886	423 942	432 305	466 647	356 013	242 065
Housing and community services	191 644	551 885	174 518	121 323	298 938	323 368	260 192	318 779	760 272
Leisure culture and religion	88 718	73 673	34 170	17 891	36 730	32 329	37 067	53 388	42 173
Environmental protection	49 102	37 071	21 342	1 906	26 419	4 569	2 938	17 446	3 731

Source: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning .

10.Thirty per cent of the general State budget for 2023 is devoted to the social sector.

11.Other budget lines or programmes, including the integrated municipal intervention plan, the integrated plan for local development and combating poverty, and the public investment programme, also provide for investments in the social sector. Specific projects are being implemented in collaboration with international partners, including the World Bank, United Nations agencies, the European Union and the United States Agency for International Development.

12.The Government is committed to supporting the social sector, upholding economic, social and cultural rights and protecting vulnerable groups. Programmes that are being implemented to support the most vulnerable groups include the Kwenda programme for social protection and cash transfers, with support from the World Bank, and the “Valor Criança” social cash transfer programme, with technical assistance from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

13.Also worthy of note is the approval and implementation of the integrated municipal intervention plan, focused on public investments, supporting development and basic activities, and prioritizing social actions, in order to prevent the rural exodus and promote more inclusive economic, social and regional growth in the country. The plan is aimed at increasing the autonomy of the country’s 164 municipalities by deconcentrating and decentralizing administrative powers and thereby improving people’s quality of life. It has a budget of $2 billion, recovered as a result of anti-corruption efforts. More than 2,270 projects are being implemented, mostly in the social sector, including in the construction and rehabilitation of schools (667) and in hospitals and medical centres (300).

14.Combating corruption is a priority in the current government plan. Several legislative documents have been approved in that context, including the Public Probity Act and the Compulsory Repatriation of Financial Resources and Extended Loss of Property Act; an Act on crimes committed by holders of positions of responsibility; the Public Assets Act; transparency rules concerning the preparation, management and auditing of the general State budget; revision of the Court of Audit Act; annual rules for the execution of the general State budget; a decree on the declaration of assets of public officials; an Act to prevent and combat money-laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; laws on special investigation and evidence collection techniques, such as electronic monitoring, mobile telephone identification and location systems, and wiretapping systems; a presidential decree on conditions for the allocation of repatriated funds; a legal framework on the repatriation of financial resources deposited abroad; and the new Criminal Code of Angola, and Act No. 30/22 of 29 August 2022, on the legal regime covering the responsibility of the State and other public collective entities.

15.At the institutional level, a strategic plan to prevent and combat corruption 2018–2022 was launched and is being implemented dynamically with the support of the National Directorate for Preventing and Countering Corruption and the Asset Recovery Office, both under the Attorney General’s Office. The criminal investigation and examination mechanisms of the Criminal Investigation Service and the national police were also strengthened. The General Inspectorate of State Administration has been very active, and the Court of Audit has redoubled its efforts to audit public finances to detect illegal activities, and to prosecute for any such activities committed under its jurisdiction. The Anti-Corruption Commission, which includes the Financial Information Unit, was also established. The national strategy to prevent and repress corruption is under public consultation.

16.From 2012 to 2017, only 18 investigations into corruption, money-laundering and related cases were conducted in Angola. From 2017 to September 2022, however, a total of 527 investigations were initiated, of which 247 were concluded, resulting in the opening of 106 criminal proceedings.

17.From 2017 to September 2022, a total of 2,511 investigative processes were initiated nationwide for crimes of embezzlement, money-laundering, corruption, economic participation in business, and other economic and financial crimes involving holders of public office, among others. Of those processes, 2,037 are under pre-trial investigation and 474 have been referred to the courts for trial, 40 of which have led to convictions.

18.A total of 188 asset declarations from public office holders and other persons required by law were registered from 2012 to 2017, while 3,635 such declarations were submitted to the Attorney General’s Office from 2017 to September 2022, a significant increase.

19.The State recovered money and assets diverted from public funds amounting to approximately $5.6 billion. From 2019 to September 2022, goods and securities totalling $15 billion were seized, of which $6.8 billion were seized in Angola and the rest outside the country.

Administration of justice

20.Judicial power in Angola is independent and is exercised by the courts, which are empowered to administer justice on behalf of the people and are bound by the Constitution and the law (article 175 of the Constitution of Angola). The courts operate at three levels: high courts; courts of appeal; and district courts.

21.In the exercise of their functions, Angolan courts are independent and impartial, and are bound only by the Constitution and the law. Pursuant to the Constitution, article 15 of Act No. 2/15 of 2 February 2015 provides for the autonomy of the courts, also with a view to safeguarding the independence of the judiciary, in compliance with the principle of separation of powers.

22.In 2019, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights transferred the management of the courts of ordinary jurisdiction, the only ones that remained under the budget of the executive branch, to the Superior Council of the Judiciary. The budget of the high courts was not managed under the executive branch.

23.Judges and prosecutors hold law degrees, and many have received specialized training in their field of work and are subject to specialized continuing training in areas including compliance and combating money-laundering and terrorist financing; financial markets; maritime law; and the fight against corruption (in partnership with a project to support the consolidation of the rule of law).

24.Access to justice falls under theme 4 of the national development plan 2018–2022, on strengthening the democratic State and the rule of law, good governance, State reform and decentralization.

25.A judicial reform process is under way, aimed at identifying and proposing laws that will make the judicial system more efficient and drafting proposals intended to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, while making a significant contribution to the fight against corruption. The process involves judges, prosecutors, representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, lawyers, jurists and academics.

26.In the last two years, significant progress has been made in terms of legislative output, in particular through the approval and publication of the Criminal Code of Angola (Act No. 38/20 of 11 November 2020), the Code of Criminal Procedure of Angola (Act No. 39/20 of 11 November 2020) and other legal instruments.

27.As part of the judicial and legal reform, Act No. 29/22 of 29 August 2022, establishing the principles and rules for the organization and functioning of the courts of ordinary jurisdiction, was adopted, as was the Courts of Appeal Act. The status of judges and prosecutors was revised.

28.Angola continues to work to make justice faster, more effective and closer to citizens, without discrimination, by expanding the system of courts so that access to justice is closer geographically, with the judicial and administrative divisions of the national territory tending to coincide. In this domain, the following results have been achieved:

(a)A total of 35 district courts have been established to replace the provincial and municipal courts.

(b)Courts of appeal or of second instance have been established (one in Luanda, one in Benguela and one in Huila) to relieve the pressure on the system, reduce the number of pending cases and meet demand effectively in rural areas.

(c)The Division of Commerce, Intellectual Property and Industry, which is already in operation, has the competence to prepare and bring proceedings related to insolvency; business recovery; declarations of non-existence, nullity and annulment of corporate contracts; and the exercise of corporate rights, copyright and industrial property rights.

(d)There has been an increase in the number of judges (656 in May 2023, of whom 38 per cent are women), public prosecutors (620, of whom 42 per cent are women) and lawyers registered with the Order of Attorneys of Angola and articled clerks (approximately 10,234, of whom approximately 35 per cent are women).

29.In order to improve access to justice for vulnerable groups, the Constitution provides for free legal aid, which is governed by Act No. 15/95 of 24 January 1995 on legal aid, implemented through the Order of Attorneys of Angola with State financial support. From 2019 to 2021, a total of 14,941 people received free legal aid.

30.Out-of-court dispute settlement centres were established in Executive Decree No. 230/14 of 27 June 2014, and the regulations governing them were established in Executive Decree No. 244/14 of 4 July 2014. The lawyers and trainee lawyers who staff the centres provide legal information and advice and uphold the principle of non-discrimination on the basis of sex, social status, cultural affiliation and financial status, enabling citizens to become aware of, exercise and defend their rights and legitimate interests.

31.To meet the demand for the services provided at the centres, more centres are being established at the provincial offices of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, which currently has more than 70 mediation and conciliation specialists. Two public and three private centres have been established. From 2018 to 2022, a total of 4,106 citizens received assistance at the centre in Luanda, 2,177 of whom were referred to conflict mediation services (most cases were commercial in nature, followed by family, labour and corporate matters).

32.The following measures are also being taken in this area: specialized continuing training, at national public and private universities, on the mediation of business and family disputes and institutional arbitration at the International Court of Arbitration.

33.An Act on voluntary arbitration and Act No. 12/16 of 12 August 2016, on mediation and conciliation, were also enacted.

National human rights institutions

34.In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Angola (article 192), the Ombudsman’s Office is an independent public entity whose purpose is to defend the rights, freedoms and fundamental guarantees enjoyed by citizens and to ensure, through informal means, that the actions of the public administration are just and lawful. The Ombudsman’s work is independent of any non-judicial or judicial remedies provided for in the Constitution or the law. The Office has administrative and financial autonomy and operates in its own facilities.

35.The existence of an institution like the Ombudsman’s Office represents compliance, to an extent, with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), especially as it is independent of the bodies of the Government.

36.Act No. 27/20 of 20 July 2020, on the Ombudsman’s Office, and Act No. 29/20 of 28 July 2020, on the status of the Ombudsman, were revised to comply with the Constitution, and also to clarify the role of the Ombudsman in the defence and promotion of citizens’ rights (including economic, social and cultural rights), freedoms and fundamental guarantees. The Acts will allow for an increase in the number of civil servants serving in the Ombudsman’s Office, by means of a public competitive examination, and will enable complaints and claims submitted to the Ombudsman to be considered as quickly as possible.

37.In the specific area of economic, social and cultural rights, the Ombudsman has, for example, engaged with the Ministry of Education regarding various concerns (literacy rates, school dropout rates, children out of school and other issues), and with the Ministry of Health regarding people’s treatment in hospitals, lack of resources and other issues. In addition, the mandate of the Ombudsman’s Office includes issuing opinions on matters related to, inter alia, evictions, access to housing, land and employment.

38.The Ombudsman’s Office is present in 10 provinces. The operation of these provincial offices has brought the Ombudsman’s services closer to people, enabling the Office to identify, in a more direct way, the problems that affect them. While the provincial offices do not have their own facilities, they may use the facilities of the provincial offices of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights or the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, or other local services that have physical space, thereby maintaining full autonomy. In recent months, as a result of the increase in the number of provincial offices of the Ombudsman’s Office, the number of complaints has increased, from 500 in 2020, to 719 in 2021 and 4,434 in 2022.

39.The Ombudsman of Angola is currently a member of the International Ombudsman Institute, in which she serves as a member of the Board of Directors and as Regional Director for Africa; a member of the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association, of which she was president between 2010 and 2014; and a member of the network of ombudspersons and human rights defenders of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, of which she is the current president. She has participated in the meetings of the ombudspersons and mediators of the Great Lakes region and of the Commonwealth ombudspersons’ association.

40.The Ombudsman is receiving support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement various activities, align the work of the Office with the Paris Principles and obtain certification as a national human rights institution.

Data collection

41.The National Statistical Office of Angola conducted the general census in 2014 and conducts specific surveys, including on multiple health indicators (2015–2016); on expenditure, income and employment in Angola (2018–2019); quarterly employment surveys, since 2019; an agricultural and fisheries census; a business census; an index of multidimensional poverty in Angola; and a child poverty survey. The pilot census will be conducted in 2023 and the next general census will be conducted in 2024.

42.Several institutions have been designated as delegated entities of the National Statistical Office. They are sectoral statistical bodies that collect information for national statistics purposes.

43.The national human rights strategy provides for the adoption of national human rights indicators, and is already being implemented.

44.The following are some of the laws that strengthen the national statistical system:

Act No. 3/11 of 14 January 2011, on the national statistical system of Angola.

Presidential Decree No. 88/15 of 7 May 2015, on the national statistical development strategy 2015–2025.

Presidential Decree No. 27/17 of 22 February 2017, on the organic- statute of the National Statistical Office.

Presidential Decree No. 28/17 of 22 February 2017, on the regulations governing official statistical work and the direct, mandatory collection of data.

Presidential Decree No. 138/17 of 22 February 2017, on the regulations governing statistical violations.

Civil society

45.The right of association is provided for in the Constitution and in the Private Associations Act (Act No. 6/12 of 18 January 2012), in which the framework for the establishment of associations in Angola is set out.

46.Significant progress has been made in the registration of associations in Angola. In the last eight years, the number of national organizations has increased from 285 to 904, and the number of foundations has increased from 15 to 19.

Figure 2

Number of registered civil society organizations, 2013–2022

Source: Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

47.Human rights defenders are generally protected by the law. Dialogue and cooperation with civil society is open and ongoing. In this regard, it is worth highlighting the national human rights strategy. One of the specific objectives of the strategy is to strengthen dialogue with civil society, whose members are considered to be essential partners. For example, Angola supported a Human Rights Council resolution aimed at supporting environmental human rights defenders.

48.The Government establishes systems for listening to and consulting with civil society organizations, including:

Civil society is part of the Council of the Republic, an advisory body to the President and the Councils for Social Consultation and Coordination.

The President of the Republic, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, held meetings with civil society organizations and civic associations in November 2018, and with young people in 2020, and holds meetings with civil society organizations as part of his periodic visits to the provinces.

Multilateral mechanisms and holding of forums: the first civil society forum on human rights in 2016, the second in 2018, the third in 2020, the fourth in 2021 and the fifth in 2022, as well as follow-up of the recommendations.

Holding of public consultations to collect contributions for the national human rights strategy document, meetings and other events.

Visits by the Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship to the offices of various civil society organizations and the existence of ongoing dialogue.

At the provincial level, civil society organizations are members of the local human rights committees.

The various ministries have civil society partners and hold ongoing dialogue and public consultations on the various policies. For example, the Ministry of Territorial Administration held a public consultation on its local government legislative package; the Ministry of Information Technology and Social Media held a public consultation on its press package; and the National Assembly held dialogues with civil society organizations.

Institutionalization of the participatory budget through Presidential Decree No. 235/19 of 22 July 2019, and the gender-sensitive budget.

Representatives of various civil society organizations have participated in the training courses organized by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, both in Angola and abroad (including a specialized course on human rights, the Oslo Diploma Course and training for human rights trainers in collaboration with the University of Coimbra).

49.Presidential Decree No. 74/14 of 2014 on the regulation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was declared unconstitutional (Constitutional Court of Angola ruling No. 447/17 of 13 July 2017, upon the request of the Order of Attorneys of Angola). Therefore, the legislation in force is the Private Associations Act (Act No. 6/12 of 18 January 2012).

50.The Public-Interest Associations Act was revised and a new status of public interest was approved (Presidential Decree No. 183/21 of 2 August 2021).

51.On the basis of the status, public funds are allocated to associations whose work is considered relevant and the Court of Audit evaluates and oversees the use of these funds. Purely by way of example, we can report that three organizations of persons with disabilities received, between them, approximately half a million United States dollars.

III.Policies, strategies and programmes for the implementation of the rights set out in the Covenant, and coordination and monitoring mechanisms, based on the Committee’s recommendations

Articles 1 and 2

Ethnolinguistic minorities

52.The population of the Republic of Angola is made up of four large linguistic, historical and cultural groups: the Bantu (the majority, with some nine sociocultural areas), the Kung (also known as Bushman/Chimea, Mukankhala or Khoisan); the Vátwa (with two variants) and persons of foreign descent.

53.Ethnic and cultural minority groups are included in several programmes of the executive branch. The executive branch is responsible for protecting these vulnerable communities and for implementing the related international instruments, which will be enshrined separately in legislative initiatives of the head of the executive branch.

54.For the first time, a National Directorate of Communities and Institutions of Traditional Power was established within the organizational structure of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Presidential Decree No. 35/18 of 8 February 2018). The purpose of this body is to coordinate public policies for minority groups that fall within the purview of different government agencies and services.

55.The priority actions for cultural policy in the national development plan include the following: “To support traditional communities, especially the Khoisan, and minority ethnic groups in the provinces of Namibe, Huila and Cuando Cubango, and the programme for the study and support of traditional communities under the national strategic plan for territorial administration, which provides for the development of a comprehensive study on ethnolinguistic groups”.

56.In the general State budget, the Government allocates specific budget lines annually for the study and support of traditional communities, especially the Khoisan and minority ethnic groups in the provinces of Namibe, Huíla and Cuando Cubango.

57.With respect to ensuring the prior, free and informed consent of all communities living in areas affected before the approval of any acquisition of land or the implementation of resource exploitation projects on rural land, article 16 (Rights of communities) of the Mining Code states that mining policy must always take into account the customs of communities in the areas in which mining is carried out and must contribute to those communities’ sustainable economic and social development.

58.In addition, the body responsible for mining, in coordination with local government bodies and holders of mining rights, must establish consultation mechanisms that allow local communities affected by mining projects to participate actively in decisions related to the protection of their rights, within the constitutional limits. Consultation is mandatory in all cases in which the implementation of mining projects may cause the destruction of or damage to material, cultural and historical assets that belong to the local community as a whole. For example, one public consultation was held in 2018, in Luanda, and four were held in 2019 (two in Luanda, one in Cabinda and one in Bengo). Such consultations are also provided for in the Land Act.

Article 2

Anti-discrimination legislation

59.In Angola, all legislation respects the principle of equality and non-discrimination enshrined in article 23 of the Angolan Constitution. The State not only prohibits discrimination but is also radically opposed to discrimination.

60.Article 212 of the Angolan Criminal Code (Act No. 38/20 of 11 November 2020) imposes a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment for anyone who engages in discriminatory acts on the grounds of race, colour, ethnicity, place of birth, gender, sexual orientation, illness, physical or mental disability that does not entail an impairment or handicap, belief or religion, political or ideological convictions, social status or origin, or any other form of discrimination. It is thus fully aligned with article 2 of the Covenant and the Committee’s general comment No. 20.

61.Cases of discrimination have been reported and prosecuted, for example, the case of a woman with a disability who experienced discrimination in the province of Namibe.

Asylum-seekers and refugees

62.Act No. 10/15 of 15 June 2015 on the right of asylum and refugee status establishes the legal framework governing the right of asylum and defines refugee status, with specific reference to the provisions of article 71 (1) of the Constitution and the provisions of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951, the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees of 31 January 1967 and the Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, of 1969.

63.The rights and duties of refugees and asylum-seekers and the principle of non‑refoulement are specifically enshrined in Act No. 10/15 of 17 July 2015 and are respected and upheld in the implementation of the Act.

64.For the purposes of implementing the Act, the National Council for Refugees was established pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 200/18 of 27 August 2018 as a multisectoral consultative body for the implementation of policies relating to the right of asylum for refugees and is chaired by the Director General of the Migration and Foreigners Service, with plenary meetings attended by a representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as an observer.

65.The National Council for Refugees in plenary meetings has reviewed and approved, inter alia, a programme for the application of the cessation clause for Liberian, Sierra Leonean and Rwandan refugees, and a strategy for the local integration of refugees who express the wish to remain in Angola, under the legal framework for foreign citizens in Angola established by Act No. 13/19 of 23 May 2019.

66.With respect to the application of the cessation clause on refugee status for citizens from the Sierra Leonean, Rwandan and Liberian communities, from 25 March to 31 December 2021, 4,229 citizens were biometrically registered, including 2,371 men, 346 women and 1,512 children:

578 Liberians (332 men, 25 women and 221 children).

297 Rwandans (96 men, 58 women and 143 children).

3,354 Sierra Leoneans (1,943 men, 263 women and 1,148 children).

Of these, only two persons (one Sierra Leonean and one Rwandan) opted to return to their countries of origin.

67.For the purposes of local integration of those who expressed a desire to remain in Angola, as an initial step, eight residence permit cards were officially issued to two Liberians, four Rwandans and two Sierra Leoneans.

68.With a view to concluding work on application of the refugee status cessation clause, working meetings are being held with the delegation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, which has issued passports to its citizens, and the same procedure is planned for the other nationalities involved in this process.

69.The National Council for Refugees is working on issuing and renewing identification documents for asylum-seekers and refugees, with technical support from the establishment of a biometric database.

70.Currently, the National Council for Refugees has registered 52,659 citizens of different nationalities under international protection: 16,171 refugees, 30,133 asylum-seekers and 6,335 prima facie refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Lôvua camp in Lunda Norte Province, comprising 1,209 men, 1,295 women, and 3,851 children who are awaiting voluntary repatriation to their country of origin.

71.In 2020, 10,487 requests were received for extension of asylum-seeker status and 10,441 (99 per cent) were approved. With respect to the renewal of refugee cards, the development and installation of a system for the issuance of refugee cards is being finalized, which will lead in the near future to the completion of a biometric registration system for refugees and asylum-seekers, with a view to having new identification documents issued and updating statistical data.

72.Alongside the National Centre for Refugees, reception centres for refugees and asylum-seekers were established by Presidential Decree No. 204/18 of 3 September 2018 as public social sector institutions under the functional responsibility of the Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women and the methodological responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior. These centres have autonomy in their administration, asset management and financial management under the State budget, their main duties being: (a) To ensure the necessary conditions for the healthy development of individuals during their stay by ensuring that their basic needs are met through such things as a well-planned, varied and balanced diet, good hygiene and sleep habits, proper health care and the development and maintenance of stable interpersonal relationships; (b) To give children special individualized attention geared towards the needs of each child; (c) To provide a comfortable setting that is as similar as possible to a family environment.

73.It is the responsibility of the Government of Angola to ensure that asylum-seekers have the necessary conditions for healthy development during their stay in refugee and asylum-seeker reception centres through the satisfaction of their basic needs. Asylum-seekers are not obliged to stay in the centres: those who have the means to support themselves may, with prior authorization, live outside the centres.

74.The migration policy of Angola, approved by Presidential Decree No. 318/18 of 31 December 2018, serves as a guidance document for all bodies involved in managing the movement of migrants, and sets out policy measures for the protection of asylum-seekers and refugees through which the Government undertakes to ensure the family unity of refugees and asylum-seekers, including by guaranteeing guardianship and/or adoption in Angola for children, and providing for the establishment and functioning of an authority responsible for reviewing requests for refugee status and the related assistance in order to facilitate communication between refugees and institutions.

75.Under the legal framework on the right of asylum and the determination of refugee status, it is not common practice for officials of the migration authority and other public security agencies to detain asylum-seekers, refugees, or children or families with children; moreover, persons staying in reception centres have access to the necessary conditions for healthy development and full guarantees of legal assistance, including interpreters.

76.Migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers are treated with dignity and their rights are respected.

77.In 2020, during the time when the 60-day state of emergency and state of disaster was in force, all visas and residence cards that expired during that period were extended de facto (deemed valid) and the questioning of foreign citizens regarding their immigration status was prohibited. Refugees in vulnerable situations also received socioeconomic assistance, such as basic food baskets.

78.Angola is registering Angolans abroad (there are already 35 posts), most of whom are former refugees from Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, to prevent them from being at risk of statelessness.

79.An assessment was done of the risks of statelessness in Angola and for Angolans living abroad. It should be noted that Angola acceded to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (Resolution No. 39/19 of 16 July 2019). Angola has had cases in which nationality was granted to persons at risk of statelessness and it participated in the “I Belong” campaign of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

80.Angola grants nationality to children at risk of statelessness through the action of the Commission for the Process of Granting Nationality.

Article 3

Equality between men and women

81.The principle of equality and non-discrimination is enshrined in article 23 of the Angolan Constitution. Article 212 of the Angolan Criminal Code reinforces this principle, as mentioned above.

82.The national development plan for 2018–2022 sets out specific actions with respect to women, with a view to promoting equal opportunities and enhancing their role in the areas of the family, society, politics, economics and entrepreneurship, and with the aim of achieving the sustainable empowerment of young women and women in rural areas. The following programmes can be highlighted: promotion of gender and empowerment of women; valuing the family and strengthening families’ skills; support for victims of gender-based violence; and the economic and productive structuring of communities, with a focus on women.

83.The national plan for gender equality and equity (Presidential Decree No. 222/13 of 24 December 2013) is being implemented and reviewed concurrently. The plan reaffirms that it is the Government’s responsibility to adopt and implement policies that have an impact on promoting opportunities in all areas of the political, economic, social and cultural lives of women and men. It provides for a comprehensive gender education and awareness-raising programme.

84.A number of laws and campaigns are in place to prevent all forms of discrimination against women and girls, including in decisions on inheritance, and to combat harmful traditional practices and patriarchal and stereotypical attitudes. This includes the Advertising Act (Act No. 9/17 of 13 March 2017), which prohibits any type of advertising or pornography. Article 15 of the Act prohibits advertising that associates the image of women with stereotyped, discriminatory or abusive behaviour or that is contrary to public morals and decency. A national campaign against teenage pregnancy and child marriage is also under way, and a national strategy to prevent and combat teenage pregnancy and child marriage is being implemented, among other efforts.

85.The number and percentage of women in public office have been increasing in some sectors, in particular in the judiciary and the executive branch. For the first time, women are serving in positions of great importance: the offices of Vice-President, President of the National Assembly and President of the Constitutional Court and the Court of Accounts. The Ombudsman is also a woman, as is the Deputy Attorney General. Currently, in the Angolan executive branch, 39 per cent of ministers, 27 per cent of governors and 28 per cent of municipal administrators are women. In the legislative branch, 37.7 per cent of representatives are women. In the judicial branch, women make up 54 per cent of the Constitutional Court, 28.5 per cent of the Supreme Court and 50 per cent of the Court of Accounts, and 38 per cent of judges in the ordinary courts are women. Staffing in the Prosecution Service is also 42 per cent women.

Figure 3

Representation of women, 2012–2022

	2012	2021	2022
Representatives	33%	30%	37.7%
Ministers of State (1 of 4)		25%	25%
Cabinet ministers	21%	33%	39%
Secretaries of State		17%	23%
Provincial governors	17%	22%	27%
Deputy provincial governors			29%
Municipal administrators		25%	26%
Diplomatic corps	28.3%	40%	40%
Ambassadors		28%	30%
Attorney General’s Office	34.4%	40%	42%
Judges	31%	40%	38%
Leadership positions in the civil service	30.5%	35.5%	35.5%
Civil service		42%	42%

Source: Intersectoral Committee for the Preparation of National Human Rights Reports .

86.According to the 2021 report on women in politics, Angola ranks fifty-second out of 190 countries for women in parliament and forty-eighth out of 192 for women in government. According to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, gender equality is one of the indicators on which Angola has improved.

87.The Political Parties Act (Act No. 22/10 of 3 December 2010) guarantees a minimum of 30 per cent representation of women on the lists of political parties participating in general elections. Angola has acceded to the Protocol on Gender and Development of the Southern African Development Community, which provides for a 50 per cent quota of women in public office, but not all parties comply with the established quota. The Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola), the party that won the elections, presented a parity list, with women making up 50 per cent of the list, exceeding the requirements of the aforementioned Political Parties Act. In the 2022 elections, a female party leader (Partido Humanista de Angola (Humanist Party of Angola)) won a seat in the National Assembly.

88.The following are other relevant measures promoting gender equality:

Presidential Decree No. 155/16 of 9 August 2016, which sets out a framework of legal and social protections for domestic workers.

Presidential Decree No. 143/17 of 26 June 2017 on a national plan of action for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.

A national programme for the development of rural women for 2015–2017 and an agrarian reform programme.

89.In order to improve access to justice for vulnerable groups, including women, the Constitution of the Republic of Angola provides for free legal aid, which is governed by Act No. 15/95 of 24 January 1995 on legal aid, implemented through the Order of Attorneys of Angola with government financial support (as indicated above).

90.Out-of-court dispute settlement centres were established by Executive Decree No. 230/14 of 27 June 2014 and the related regulation No. 244/14 of 4 July 2014 (mentioned above). From 2014 to 2022, 1,849 requests for legal information and 1,392 requests for legal consultations were handled, and 3,253 cases were referred to the Mediation Service. With respect to gender, from 2019 to 2022, 40 per cent of users were women.

Article 6

Right to work

91.One priority of the national development plan is to ensure that economic growth and diversification translate into increased employment opportunities, particularly for young people, a major concern of the executive branch. To that end, a number of measures are being taken, including efforts to revive and diversify the economy, increase domestic production of basic goods and services, increase the variety of exportable goods and increase the availability of jobs.

92.In terms of economic diversification, the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector plays a major role in combating hunger by guaranteeing food and nutritional security for the population, and in reducing poverty and unemployment, both in rural and urban areas, through sales of agricultural products.

93.In order to withstand crises, a commitment to family farming is key to diversifying the economy and constitutes an important macroeconomic policy tool for the creation of a significant number of jobs.

94.In the specific case of Angola, where the majority of the population is rural, it is crucial that this sector promote food self-sufficiency and employ a large part of the workforce, given its extensive capacity to absorb labour.

95.It is estimated that during the period from 2018 to the third quarter of 2022, the population over age 15 available for the production of goods and services increased by 20 per cent (2,722,509 persons), from 13,651,042 in 2018 to 16,373,551.

96.In absolute terms, during this period, more than 2,722,509 adult citizens who were residents of Angola joined the available workforce. Of this total, 958,138 persons found employment and 1,556,346 persons looked for a job without success and are available for work.

97.These changes in the employment market resulted in a 1.2 percentage point reduction in the employment rate from 61.7 per cent in 2018 to 60.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2022, a 5.1 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate from 29 per cent in 2018 to 34.1 per cent in third quarter of 2022 and a 4.9 percentage point reduction in the inactivity rate.

98.Of every 10 jobs posted, 7 are for men and 3 for women. Luanda is the province with the highest number of jobs posted (53 per cent).

99.According to data for 2017–2022 from the National Statistical Office, more than 500,000 jobs were created. At the same time, thousands of citizens lost their jobs owing to the pandemic (estimated at more than 200,000).

100.According to data from the Ministry of Public Administration, Employment and Social Security, from 2018 to 2022 approximately 180,923 net formal jobs were created, that being the difference between the 459,775 new jobs created and 269,852 jobs lost (figure 4).

Figure 4

Net jobs created, by gender, 2018–2022

Source: Ministry of Public Administration, Employment and Social Security .

101.Of the net jobs created, 68 per cent were for men and 32 per cent were for women.

Figure 5

Net jobs created, by sector, 2018– 2022

Source: Ministry of Public Administration, Employment and Social Security .

102.It is estimated that four out of every five employees (80.4 per cent) work in some non‑formal activity. Non-formal work was the predominant type of work in rural areas (93.7 per cent) among women (90 per cent) and young people aged 15 to 24 (92.2 per cent).

103.With respect to vocational training, the number of vocational training centres increased by 47 per cent, from 772 in 2018 to 1,445 in 2022, notably with more than 658 new private centres being established compared to 15 public centres.

104.In the period from 2018 to 2022, a total of 60,000 courses were reported as having been delivered, including 30,000 short courses, 12,000 courses in entrepreneurship and business management and 18,000 courses in other knowledge areas.

105.Labour market activation policies are aimed at increasing employment opportunities, and for that purpose the executive branch prepared a plan of action for the promotion of employability (Presidential Decree No. 113/19 of 16 April 2019) with a range of opportunities for newly trained, unemployed young people, entrepreneurs who need support to make their businesses viable and young people who intend to start up entrepreneurial activities. The plan lasted for three years, ending in the first quarter of 2023, and ensured the social and vocational inclusion of groups and individuals vulnerable to unemployment through the implementation of active labour market policies, particularly for young people seeking their first jobs, persons with disabilities and women, especially in peri-urban and rural areas. The second iteration of the plan is at the approval stage and will be in effect for five years.

106.The actions in the plan include developing a women’s training programme that aims, essentially, to get women involved in vocational training activities, with a particular focus on those that promote self-employment and entrepreneurship.

107.The plan of action has a target of 60,000 short and medium-term courses and the programme reached 53,366 trainees, which is equivalent to an implementation rate of 89 per cent. A total of 53,366 new jobs were created ‒ 10,200 in Luanda (19 per cent), 8,646 in Huila and 3,910 in Moxico (7 per cent).

108.Some of the programmes supporting the plan of action for the promotion of employability will be restructured and incorporated into the priority programmes for the implementation of the national strategic employment policy for 2023–2027.

109.In 2020, with a view to boosting self-employment, more than 61,000 young people were trained in schools in the national vocational training system, and in the first half of 2020 more than 27,000 young people were already enrolled.

110.Training and trade schools were also built for adolescents and young people at risk, in which students are eligible for double certification (academic and vocational) after three years of training.

111.In addition, to provide support to the most vulnerable groups, under Presidential Decree No. 300/20 of 23 November 2020, which provides for the regulations, arrangements and criteria governing access to and the exercise of vocational apprenticeships as an active employment measure, priority access is given to women, persons with disabilities and persons from the most disadvantaged social groups, whose scholarships are fully funded by the Government.

112.With the support of the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training, a Portuguese institution similar to the National Institute for Employment and Vocational Training, mechanisms are currently being established to develop a methodology for and monitoring and evaluation of employment programmes and projects.

113.Partnerships have been established with companies to align the actual needs of the labour market with the training provided and include them in the work of the training centres.

114.In the area of entrepreneurship, according to data from the National Institute for Employment and Vocational Training, 3,895 citizens were trained in 2020 in different provinces of the country through various community-based programmes, such as the community entrepreneurship programme, municipal centres for entrepreneurship and employment services, and local employment and employment services centres, among others.

115.With respect to the promotion of entrepreneurship, a total of 74 companies were incubated.

Minimum wage

116.The national minimum wage is an important policy element that affects the stability of legal labour relations. The executive branch, through a series of laws, has periodically updated the wage, which increased by 300 per cent from 2005 to 2021.

117.The Government intends to continue implementing its wage adjustment policy with a view to improving the purchasing power of wages and salaries, not only in the private sector but also in the civil service.

118.The latest adjustment of the national minimum wage was made pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 54/22 of 17 February 2022, which set it at 32,181.15 kwanzas.

Article 7

Informal economy

119.There is a programme under way to formalize the informal sector. As progress is made under the programme, mandatory social protection is immediately extended to the newly formalized operators.

120.As part of the implementation of the action plan to promote employment, there is an action plan to promote employability. The employability plan makes provision for a specialized service to support entrepreneurs who are enrolled in the plan, with a view to facilitating the establishment and formalization of businesses, with an emphasis on social security registration.

121.The programme for the restructuring of the informal economy is designed to support the transition from an informal to a formal economy in the country. It serves as a catalyst for increasing the tax base and the number of operators in the formal economy, thus ensuring that older persons have contributory social protection.

122.It is estimated that informal employment accounts for 79.7 per cent of total employment. For women, informal employment accounts for 88.5 per cent and for men, 70.8 per cent.

123.The ongoing formalization process began in Luanda, in the Mercado do 30 market, where members of the registration brigades and an intersectoral team composed of the National Directorate of Identification, Registration and Notaries; the municipal administration; the General Tax Administration; the one-stop shop for businesses; the National Institute for Employment and Vocational Training; the National Institute for Assistance to Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises; the National Social Security Institute; and microcredit companies have supported the formalization of the businesses of the informal operators registered in the first phase. As of August 2022, 246,189 operators had been formalized.

124.The legal framework governing mandatory social protection for workers in agriculture, fishing and small businesses was established in Presidential Decree No. 295/20 of 18 November 2020. The primary objective of the Decree was to expand the mandatory social protection scheme to cover employees who work in certain sectors, in companies whose activities generate very little income, hence the reference to the agricultural and fishing sector. The procedures and costs of the scheme are being simplified to encourage voluntary participation and thereby naturally expand the contributory base for mandatory social protection.

125.The legal and social protection framework for domestic workers was established in Presidential Decree No. 155/16 of 9 August 2016. In the Decree, domestic workers (the vast majority of whom are women) are defined and an obligatory contribution rate is established for the mandatory social protection system for domestic workers: 6 per cent must be paid by the employer and 2 per cent by the beneficiary. The aim of the Decree is to take thousands of people, especially women, out of the informal sector.

126.Several training and awareness-raising activities have been carried out with the involvement of various social actors, ranging from social partners to the general public, in order to give beneficiaries a better understanding of the procedures.

127.The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Associação Observatório de Políticas Públicas da Perspectiva de Género (Observatory for Public Policy from a Gender Perspective) (ASSOGE) identified barriers and conducted campaigns to encourage domestic workers to join the programme.

128.In addition to information campaigns and training on the specifics of domestic employment contracts, the technical conditions were established for the issuance of employment record booklets and time sheets and for enrolment in the mandatory social protection system (social security) at several service centres, in order to expedite and simplify the process at the national level. As a result, 8,192 domestic workers had been enrolled in the mandatory social protection system as of March 2023.

Just and favourable conditions of work

129.The Government has taken measures to implement the General Labour Act (Act No. 7/15 of 15 June 2015) since its adoption. The implementation of the Act began with broad awareness-raising, through seminars and talks, mainly aimed at unions and employers.

130.Following a process of consultation with social partners, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) and trade unions, the Government approved the revision of the Act, along with the Code of Labour Procedure. Both are being discussed in a specialized committee of the National Assembly, after receiving unanimous approval for consideration.

131.The minimum age for employment in Angola is 14 years old. Minors must have express authorization to work. It is illegal to employ children under 14. Angola has ratified various ILO conventions, in particular the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), in June 2001. The overarching objective of the national plan for the eradication of child labour in Angola and its action plan (Presidential Decree No. 239/21 of 29 September 2021), aimed at eliminating child labour in Angola, is to take effective, immediate and comprehensive measures to facilitate the work of the various actors involved in ensuring, in practical ways, that children are able to enjoy their rights, as a way of combating the worst forms of child labour.

132.The national plan was officially launched in March 2022 and its implementation entails a set of actions based on seven pillars: (i) contributing to children’s balanced development; (ii) preventing and eradicating child labour through social assistance; (iii) education; (iv) advocacy, accountability and oversight in the fight against child labour; (v) giving minors and adolescents a voice; (vi) communication; and (vii) monitoring and evaluation.

133.In accordance with ILO Convention No. 182, the Government has updated the list of types of work that are prohibited for minors. Through Presidential Decree No. 30/17 of 22 February 2017, the list of types of work that minors are prohibited from undertaking, or may undertake only subject to certain conditions, was approved, and the previous Joint Executive Decree No. 171/10 of 14 December 2010 was repealed.

134.Presidential Decree No. 29/17 of 22 February 2017, on hazardous work for women, was also approved and published.

135.The General Labour Inspectorate has some 153 labour inspectors nationwide and is planning to hold a new public competitive examination to admit more labour inspectors. In 2020, the Inspectorate conducted 5,775 inspection visits, with a focus on improving working conditions. In 2021 it received 5,989 requests for mediation of labour disputes.

136.Angola signed a decent work country programme with ILO for the period 2019–2022. The programme is a tripartite cooperation instrument involving the Government and employers’ and workers’ groups. The agreement contains three priorities: helping to formalize informal businesses and workers, promoting the employability of young people, and strengthening social dialogue and collective bargaining. The programme includes a plan for consolidating the formalization of the informal economy, the establishment of better working conditions, the dignity and quality of labour, the inclusion of marginalized workers and the fight against child labour – in short, a set of actions designed to foster the dignity of work, and well-being and social peace.

137.The new civil service framework and the Civil Service Framework Act (Act No. 6/22 of 8 August 2022) were also approved.

Article 8

Trade union rights

138.The right to freedom of association is a constitutional right enshrined in article 50 of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola, which recognizes the right of workers to establish trade unions to defend their individual and collective interests. In addition, these rights are protected by the ordinary Act regulating trade union activity, Act No. 21-C/92 of 21 August 1992.

139.There are 33 trade unions and three trade union confederations: the União Nacional dos Trabalhadores de Angola-Confederação Sindical (Angola National Workers’ Union‑Trade Union Confederation) (UNTA-CS), with 490,000 affiliated workers, the Central Geral de Sindicatos Independentes e Livres de Angola (General Federation of Independent and Free Trade Unions of Angola) (CGSILA), with 193,000 affiliated workers, and the Força Sindical (Trade Union Force), with 183,000 affiliated workers. There are 33 legal trade unions.

140.Angola, as an effective member of ILO, has regularly submitted reports on compliance with the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

141.Between 2018 and 2022, there were 22 corporate and public-sector strikes (see figure 6). The courts have settled labour disputes throughout the country.

Figure 6

Number of strikes, 2018–2022

Source: Ministry of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security.

Article 9

Social security

142.The Ministry of Public Administration, Labour and Social Security is responsible for implementing policies related to mandatory and supplementary social protection, which covers self-employed workers, workers employed by others, the clergy, religious denominations and domestic workers, among others.

143.An Act on social protection related to disability, which will extend the coverage of social protection to cover cases of illness, is being drafted. It was recently updated by means of Presidential Decree No. 299/20 of 23 November 2020, on social protection for older persons.

144.In the Social Protection Framework Act (Act No. 7/04 of 15 October 2004), the types of social protection are set out: basic social protection, which consists of the provision of welfare services, and mandatory and supplementary social protection, which are contributory.

145.The body that manages mandatory social protection pays the following benefits: retirement and survivors’ pensions; maternity, breastfeeding, death and funeral allowances; and family and old-age benefits.

146.Non-contributory benefits for the most vulnerable people and their families are provided as part of the basic social protection programme.

147.The mandatory social protection programme is in strict compliance with the provisions of the ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202). In addition, ILO has provided technical assistance in this area to the National Social Security Institute, which is the body responsible for mandatory social protection.

148.With a view to increasing the personal and material coverage of mandatory social protection, the activity of social security mediation has been established (Presidential Decree No. 30/20 of 23 November 2020). Awareness-raising campaigns are being carried out to encourage enrolment in the mandatory social protection system.

149.A programme is under way to expand the contributory base for the mandatory social protection system; it involves measures aimed at encouraging registration through small and medium-sized enterprises and by workers directly.

Article 10

Harmful practices

150.The Republic of Angola is fully committed to the elimination of harmful practices, including child marriage, domestic violence, polygamy and female genital mutilation, which are illegal in the country.

151.Pursuant to article 24 of the Family Code, the minimum legal age for marriage is 18 years old. In exceptional cases, authorization may be given for men to marry at 16 years of age and women at 15 years of age, after consideration of the circumstances of the case and taking into account the interests of the minors, provided that marriage is the best solution. Authorization must be given by the parents, guardians or other persons responsible for the minors, or the courts may take the decision. The Family Code is being revised. Angola recorded few official cases of child marriage from 2017 to 2021: one in Malanje, one in Lunda Sul, five in Benguela, four in Namibe and five in Luanda.

152.To ensure that this type of practice is not followed, a national campaign against teenage pregnancy and child marriage is under way and the national strategy to prevent and combat teenage pregnancy and child marriage has been approved.

153.Studies show that female genital mutilation is not a cultural practice in Angola. In addition, measures to prevent acts that violate the physical, sexual or psychological integrity, or right to life, of women and girls are being strengthened, taking into account the migratory flows in the region. Moreover, female genital mutilation is punishable under the Criminal Code of Angola (article 160), with penalties ranging from 2 to 10 years’ imprisonment.

154.In the Advertising Act (Act No. 9/17 of 13 March 2017), any type of advertising for pornography is prohibited; article 15 prohibits advertising that associates images of women with stereotyped, discriminatory or humiliating behaviour, or behaviour that offends public morals and decency.

155.The main measure in place to combat domestic violence is Act No. 25/11 of 14 July 2011, against domestic violence, and its regulations (Presidential Decree No. 124/13 of 28 August 2013), which are currently under review.

156.Since 2020, specific campaigns have been conducted in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The lockdown resulted in problems for women, such as an increase in domestic violence, a breakdown of family units caused by the reduction in employment, fathers abandoning their children (which is the type of violence most frequently handled by the counselling centres, accounting for more than 89 per cent of the cases registered) and other situations. Concerned by the situation, the Government has appealed to all to take action and work together to raise the awareness of women’s family members and communities, and to foster positive behaviours and reduce the occurrence of this type of situation.

157.To help to bring the situation under control and reduce and deter domestic violence, a major strategy was put in place with the launch of telephone lines 145 and 146, for reporting cases of domestic violence, telephone line 111, of the Comprehensive Public Safety Centre, and telephone line 15015, to report violence against minors. The telephone lines were set up to enable reporting of all types of violations of people’s fundamental rights, and other public and domestic security forces are involved in their operation.

158.The number of reports has increased in recent years, above all owing to the significant informative and awareness-raising work done by the institutions with responsibility in this area:

From 2017 to 2022 the Maianga Counselling Centre (Luanda) registered 5,248 cases, 4,590 (87.5 per cent) of which were reported by women (see figure 7).

Of those 5,248 cases, 62 per cent related to family abandonment, 17 per cent to psychological violence, 11 per cent to property-related violence, 7 per cent to physical violence and 1 per cent to sexual violence (see figure 8).

The provincial offices of the Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women registered a total of 12,893 cases of domestic violence.

During the period under review, the Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women and the Ministry of Health, working together to manage telephone lines 145 and 146, responded to 20,693 calls, of which 15,701 required action and 4,992 could be dismissed.

Figure 7

Domestic violence, 2017–2022

Source: Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women.

Figure 8

Types of violence (percentage), 2017–2022

Source: Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women.

Birth registration

159.According to the 2014 census, 53.5 per cent of the population of Angola had been registered at birth, which means that, at that time, there were more than 10 million people who had not been registered. In order to enhance civil registration, the issuance of birth certificates and first-time identity documents was made free of charge by Decree No. 301/19 of 16 October 2019 on the standardization and simplification of fees, article 13 of which establishes that the following acts are free of charge: registration of births that occur in Angola, or in a health centre abroad under a protocol concluded with Angola; registration of births that occur abroad, through which Angolan nationality is conferred; or registration of the granting of Angolan nationality. Birth certificates for minors are always free of charge.

160.From September 2013 to December 2017, a total of 6,599,897 people, including both minors and adults, were registered nationwide; 3,010,058 of these people were male and 3,589,779, or 54.3 per cent, were female.

161.In order to ensure that the right to citizenship is universally enjoyed, a programme to expand birth registration and the issuance of identity documents is under way, with the assistance of mobile and stationary teams throughout the country. The programme was launched in November 2019 and, as of April 2022, the following results had been achieved: 5,846,673 births had been registered and 3,092,248 first-time identity documents had been issued. During the 2017–2022 legislative period, 7,743,256 births were registered and 8,691,671 identity documents were issued, an increase of more than 18 per cent compared with the previous period. Of the identity documents, 4,366,528 were first-time documents and 4,325,143 were second copies.

162.A total of 13,640,730 identity documents have now been issued, of which 48 per cent are for females.

163.There are birth registration stations and identity card issuance stations in every municipality. There are currently 323 identification stations, 34 of which were opened for the diaspora, in diplomatic and consular missions in 18 countries.

164.As part of the “Nascer com registo” (Registered at birth) programme, implemented with the support of UNICEF and the European Union, 105 birth registration stations have been set up in maternity hospitals and health centres. Under the programme, it is planned to install registration stations at health-care centres with delivery rooms. The aim is to establish mechanisms to immediately ensure that births are registered without much delay, and to simplify and reduce the amount of bureaucracy involved in the formalities that are essential to safeguarding citizens’ fundamental rights. Although this joint programme has ended, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights is continuing to set up stations in maternity hospitals.

165.An awareness-raising campaign entitled “Paternidade responsável eu apoio” (I support responsible fatherhood) has been launched to build the awareness of the general public, and men in particular, of the importance of registering their children.

166.In addition, a birth registration campaign is being conducted in lower secondary schools and children’s first identity documents are being issued in schools, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education (this is mainly done between January and March, when school enrolment takes place).

167.The Government has authorized one-stop shops for public services. Citizens can register births with the municipal, communal or urban district authorities, and the data on their electoral cards have been harmonized with those contained in the birth register.

168.The following actions have been taken to modernize services and improve the related data:

(a)A new identity document production centre was inaugurated on 8 November 2019; it has a modern set-up and the capacity to print a maximum of 20,000 identity documents per day. This centralized printing model offers greater security guarantees in relation to the granting of citizenship than the previous system, in which printing was done locally and there was a risk that documents would be issued illegally. Currently, 15,000 identity documents are processed each day.

(b)A new application for civil registration has been developed and is being rolled out throughout the country. The application will make it possible to maintain a single database, and for people to have a single citizen number that is assigned when their birth is registered and that corresponds with their national document number, tax identification number, electoral number and social security number. In the future, single citizen numbers will also correspond with driver’s licence numbers and passport numbers, as well as the numbers of any other documents.

169.Birth registration is carried out for foreign citizens, but does not imply the granting of Angolan nationality. In addition, there are no barriers to access to services. The Government of Angola, in collaboration with United Nations agencies, has duly protected the minor children of refugees from the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has registered them for schooling and medical care. A total of 3,273 children have been registered in the education system, 1,592 of whom are girls seeking asylum and refugee status in Angola, which has made it possible for them to be included in the school system since 2019.

170.Angola is registering Angolans abroad, most of whom are former refugees in Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, to prevent them being at risk of statelessness.

171.Birth registration continues to be a challenge for the country, in relation to vital statistics.

Article 11

Poverty and inequality

172.Sustainable development and poverty alleviation are both priorities for the Government. Angola is therefore committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

173.The Government has been able to reach the target and achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving extreme poverty, which fell from 69 per cent to 36 per cent.

174.The national development plan for 2018–2022 was finalized and approved, under which an integrated municipal programme for local development and combating poverty (2018–2022) was approved by Presidential Decree No. 140/18 of 6 June 2018 with the goal of reducing poverty from 36 per cent to 25 per cent by 2022. The main objective is to contribute to poverty reduction and the promotion of the human development and well-being of Angolans, with economic and social inclusion at the local level.

175.The integrated municipal programme for local development and combating poverty is the government programme dedicated to improving the standard of living of the most disadvantaged population groups living in extreme poverty, with a focus on local development (communes and municipalities) and geared towards the concept of municipal responsibility for the implementation of projects and activities through local action, with central coordination. With respect to combating poverty, 76,258 individuals were given placements in income-generating activities in projects in farming, carpentry, fishing, handicrafts and sewing, among others. The people receiving placements included former military personnel and other individuals from the community. The programme reached its highest implementation rate in 2020, when 49 per cent of that total was achieved, and 17 per cent of the placements were for former military personnel.

176.Regulations on the Centralized Social Register were set out in Presidential Decree No. 136/19 of 10 May 2019 to harmonize social programmes and projects that will facilitate the allocation of benefits to individuals and families in situations of vulnerability and poverty.

177.The programme for the provision of social services at the municipal level is being expanded. The Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women registered 106,663 persons belonging to 41,762 families.

178.A project on assistance to families in highly vulnerable situations using a social support card, which began in 2018, is being implemented based on the new paradigm for social assistance, whereby social services are provided through municipalities. The process began with the registration of families and continued with the issuance of social support cards, which provide beneficiary families with 10,000 kwanzas per month to purchase goods from the basic food basket in Hebrumel and Nosso Super stores. A total of 2,364 highly vulnerable families in the provinces of Luanda (1,042), Bengo (932), Cabinda (100) and Cunene (290) benefited.

179.In August 2019, the Government of Angola launched a social cash transfer programme known as “Valor Menor”, which was implemented in the provinces of Bié and Uíge as part of the social support programme, with funding from the European Union and technical support from UNICEF. Between September 2020 and January 2021, the project benefited 9,788 families with 18,060 children. The project has been completed and gaps are currently being addressed through the Kwenda programme.

180.In 2020, a programme for strengthening social protection (the Kwenda programme) was launched with the support of the World Bank. The programme has three components: a social cash transfer, provision of social services at the municipal level and strengthening of the Centralized Social Register. The Kwenda programme aims to support 1,608,000 families living in poverty and vulnerability throughout the country. During the period under review, a total of 424,285 households, 62 per cent of which are headed by women, were registered in the integrated social protection information system of the Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women. The programme has already benefited 40,686 families.

181.As was mentioned above, the integrated municipal action plan is being implemented to make public investments and support development and basic activities, with priority given to social action, in order to stem the rural exodus and promote more inclusive economic, social and regional growth in the country.

182.With respect to measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of emergency, which was declared on 27 March 2020 and was in effect for 60 days, followed by the state of disaster, which was in effect until 14 May 2022, Presidential Decree No. 98/20 of 9 April 2020 approved measures to alleviate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, families and the informal sector of the economy. The decree included measures for the productive sector (tax, financial and other measures) and for families and the informal sector of the economy. With respect to families, it should be noted that 315 million kwanzas were made available to the Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women to guarantee purchases of basic foodstuffs for the most vulnerable families. The Ministry, in collaboration with the provincial governments, implemented campaigns to distribute goods from the basic food basket for programmes supporting the most vulnerable population.

183.The national social action policy and the respective operationalization strategy were approved by Presidential Decree No. 37/21 of 8 February 2021 with the following overall objectives:

(a)To establish an integrated social action platform, called the “national social action system”, in order to guarantee individuals and families in situations of vulnerability or poverty a decent standard of living, access to basic services, the realization of their social rights, and the reduction of risks and their effects.

(b)To strengthen the economic and social resilience of poor individuals and families on a predictable and sustainable basis through the provision of social services at the municipal level.

184.The Government has ensured uninterrupted work on building 25 integrated social action centres, and construction of 20 centres has been completed (2 in the province of Bengo, 1 in Cabinda, 1 in Benguela, 1 in Cuanza Sul, 2 in Cuanza Norte, 2 in Cunene, 1 in Benguela, 1 in Huila, 8 in Luanda, 1 in Malange and 1 in Namibe).

185.Particular attention was paid to the drought in southern Angola, specifically in the provinces of Cunene, Huila, Namibe and Cuando Cubango, which has affected the 1,340,781 residents.

186.Droughts are cyclical in southern Angola, occurring from May to October practically every year with varying degrees of severity. In recent years, the Government has been more aware of and attentive to the victims of drought and other natural disasters than ever before.

187.In 2019, the Government approved an emergency assistance programme with funding of 19,819,744,483.59 kwanzas.

188.Through the emergency programme, 114 out of 171 water points were rehabilitated in these provinces. In the last few months, 54 new water points were built in the province of Huila and 43 water points were built in Namibe.

189.Construction of the Cafu canal, a water transfer system from the Cunene River, began in February 2019. It serves an area of 165 km2 and 31 reservoirs. The canal benefits 250,000 residents and 10,000 hectares of farmland. It was inaugurated in April 2022.

190.Considering the need to implement more sustainable solutions capable of contributing to a more effective response to the effects of the drought, a set of infrastructure projects was identified, with priority given to the province of Cunene, with the transfer of water from the Cunene River to the Cuvelai River and the construction in four years of six large retention dams and their respective canals.

191.In addition, a programme for strengthening resilience and food and nutritional security ‒ a joint programme of Angola and the European Union with a budget of 65 million euros ‒ is being implemented in southern Angola. The main objectives of the programme are to combat poverty and the vulnerability of the communities most affected by drought in the southern provinces of Angola, and to strengthen sustainable family farming.

192.The programme has improved the food and nutritional security of families in the provinces most affected by drought (Cunene, Huía and Namibe).

193.The projects focus on access to water, promotion of food and nutritional security, and small processing and marketing initiatives.

Right to decent housing

194.The Government is implementing a national urban planning and housing programme whose strategic objective is to create decent living conditions, in particular for vulnerable groups, with a focus on the construction of 35,000 houses ‒ approximately 200 houses per municipality ‒ and the construction of social housing by the State, private companies and cooperatives.

195.In the period from 2017 to 2022, the State completed the construction of 14 centres (social and affordable housing) nationwide, with a total of 39,051 housing units.

196.The urban rehabilitation, retrofitting and self-construction subprogrammes under way in the country aim to provide basic infrastructure services and urban facilities in informal spaces and to retrofit these spaces as structured residential areas that meet acceptable environmental standards.

197.Under this programme, the Government focuses on urban planning, construction of infrastructure and division of land reserves into plots in order to relocate families living in high-risk areas (for example, in coastal areas, under power transmission lines and along natural waterways). Relocations have been carried out in the provinces of Luanda, Cabinda, Huambo, Lunda Sul, Cunene and Huila.

198.A national housing policy is currently being developed and is in the public consultation phase.

199.Evictions or resettlements are carried out in accordance with the law: Presidential Decree No. 117/16 of 3 May 2016 on regulations for resettlement operations and the Public Utility Expropriation Act (Act No. 1/21 of 7 January 2021) provide for financial guarantees and safeguards for these rights so that no citizen’s land may be expropriated without their receiving due compensation. The compensation is set by agreement between the parties, either through private negotiation or through the courts (when the parties themselves fail to reach agreement).

Right to food

200.Under the Constitution, the Republic of Angola has an obligation to promote the sustainable improvement of the country’s human development indices.

201.It is the responsibility of the State to ensure the improvement of conditions through production, in particular traditional and family farming, processing, industrialization, marketing, and supply and distribution of food, including water, and through job creation and the redistribution of income.

202.Agriculture as a whole is a priority for the Government’s strategic policies, which also apply to its partners, including NGOs. These policies aim to ensure food security and sovereignty, job creation and income generation.

203.An action plan is in place that describes specific actions for the implementation of the national food and nutritional security strategy. It was approved in 2009 and is coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The second national food security strategy is currently being prepared, drawing on the experiences and results obtained with the implementation of the first iteration of the strategy.

204.In order to provide for quality assurance inspections of food products and other services, the Government, through Presidential Decree No. 267/20 of 16 October 2020, established the National Economic Inspection and Food Safety Authority as the entity responsible for inspections in economic activities, formed through a merger of the sectoral inspection services for industry, commerce, tourism, environment, transport, health, agriculture and fisheries, and approved the Organic Statute of the Authority.

205.Also noteworthy here is the aforementioned Presidential Decree No. 140/18 of 6 July 2018, which established the integrated programme for local development and the fight against poverty, which is intended to improve the standard of living of the most disadvantaged population groups living in conditions of extreme poverty. This programme includes school meals.

206.The integrated programme has three main areas of action: productive inclusion in rural and urban areas, universal access to essential public services and the provision of direct social transfers, which are correlated with income generation. The second pillar of the programme, family farming and entrepreneurship, includes programmes for the productive organization of communities, microsupport infrastructure and the operationalization of the programme for the acquisition of agricultural and livestock products. It also enables productive occupation and may help produce surpluses for the market. Accordingly, the priorities in this area are: (i) delivering agricultural inputs (mainly seeds and farm implements) to increase production of the most common foodstuffs in the diet of each region (principally corn, cassava, beans and sweet potatoes); (ii) providing vaccines for small ruminants (mainly goats) and chickens (against Newcastle disease, which causes immense harm to poor families); and (iii) providing incentives to grow fruit trees and introducing the practice of growing and eating vegetables.

207.As was mentioned above, a programme for strengthening resilience and food and nutritional security in southern Angola is under way. This is a joint programme of Angola and the European Union with a budget of 65 million euros. The main objectives of the programme are to combat hunger, poverty and the vulnerability of the communities most affected by drought in the southern provinces of Angola, and to strengthen sustainable family farming.

208.The multiple indicator health survey 2015–2016, prepared by the National Statistics Institute and the Ministry of Health, indicated that nationwide some 38 per cent of children suffer from moderate chronic malnutrition (-2 standard deviations) and 15 per cent suffer from severe malnutrition (-3 standard deviations). Furthermore, 5 per cent of children under 5 years of age have moderate acute malnutrition (-2 standard deviations), and 1 per cent have severe acute malnutrition. Findings indicate that 19 per cent of children under 5 years of age are underweight for their age (-2 standard deviations) and around 6 per cent are severely underweight (-3 standard deviations). The prevalence of moderate chronic malnutrition is 32 per cent among children living in urban areas and 46 per cent in rural areas.

209.Angola has had a Food Reserve Agency since 2021 that aims to help reduce the prices of products in the basic food basket.

Article 12

Access to health care

210.The national health system is free and universal and there is also a broad network of private services and other stakeholders that, on the basis of the national health policy and action by the Ministry of Health, are ensuring the ongoing implementation of the national health development plan for the period 2012–2025 and the national development plan for 2018–2022.

211.The policy on administration of health services at the municipal level is being implemented, with the objective of offering high-quality health services in order to promote good health and prevent and treat the diseases that most affect the population, thereby bringing health services closer to the communities.

212.The national health system of the Republic of Angola has three levels and comprises 3,164 facilities across 18 provinces, including 18 provincial general hospitals, 14 central national hospitals, 32 specialty hospitals, 166 municipal hospitals, 640 health centres, 105 medical clinics, 2,180 health posts and 10 mixed-use hospitals, with a total of 33,000 hospital beds.

213.Fully 92 per cent of these facilities provide primary care. The ratio of facilities per capita is approximately 1 health facility for every 10,000 residents.

214.In terms of human resources in the health sector, Angola has been progressively increasing its staff numbers to meet the enormous demand. The national health system staffing table comprised a total of 84,631 staff members in 2020, with the various professional categories distributed across all the provinces. In 2020, the human resources of the health sector were: 5,407 physicians, 35,800 nurses, 9,341 diagnostic and therapeutic technicians and 34,083 general technicians.

215.In the past few years (since 2020), 33,093 new professionals, both specialists and generalists, have been hired in the public service, representing a 35 per cent increase in the overall workforce in the health sector. Most of them are young professionals who have mainly been recruited for primary care.

216.The largest share of the national health system workforce (33.71 per cent), including Ministry of Health officials, is in the capital, Luanda, followed by the provinces of Benguela (9.2 per cent) and Huambo (8.15 per cent). Moxico (2.08 per cent) and Lunda Norte (2.18 per cent) are the provinces with the lowest shares.

217.It is worth highlighting here the rapid reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the number of hospital beds in the country went from 625 to 5,240, an eightfold increase. For intensive care, the number of beds increased from 289 to 1,020.

218.To improve health services, the Government of Angola has signed an agreement with the World Bank on strengthening the national health system, which will make it possible to improve the performance of approximately 300 primary health-care facilities in 21 municipalities throughout the country. The project will benefit women of childbearing age and young children in 21 municipalities located in seven Angolan provinces (Luanda, Bengo, Lunda Norte, Moxico, Malanje, Uíge and Cuando Cubango).

219.Epidemiological surveillance has been strengthened nationwide in the last two years, allowing for the timely detection of, and an appropriate response to, measles and polio epidemics, with campaigns carried out in the municipalities of seven provinces (Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Moxico, Huambo, Huila, Bié, Cuando Cubango and Cunene).

220.With regard to child health, health facilities provide comprehensive care visits for children, which increased from 25 per cent in 2018 to 93 per cent in 2021, although the target set in the national development plan was only 50 per cent. That good performance is owing to the 571 professionals trained in the field, the assistance of Cuban medical specialists in 153 of the country’s 164 municipalities and the opening of specialized courses in family medicine for Angolan doctors.

221.Also in the area of child health, specifically ways to prevent blindness and boost children’s immunity, the administration of vitamin A increased from 6 per cent in 2018 to 40 per cent in 2021, exceeding the target of 30 per cent set in the national development plan. In 2021, a total of 2,287,199 children were seen in childcare clinics and 87,224 children were given deworming treatment with albendazole. A total of 582,781 insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed for children under 5 years of age. There was also an increase of 579 vaccination sites, from 1,508 in 2018 to 2,087 in 2021.

Right to sexual and reproductive health

222.With regard to sexual and reproductive health, a national campaign to accelerate the reduction of maternal and infant mortality was launched in 2010 and the National Commission for the Prevention and Auditing of Maternal, Neonatal and Infant Deaths was established in 2012. More than 700 health facilities have agreed to follow protocols for the provision and standardization of sexual and reproductive health services.

223.As part of a collaborative project between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women, and the Ministry of Education, more than 3,450 traditional birth attendants were trained, 3,340 young people received information on gender, teenage pregnancy and maternal and neonatal deaths, and monitoring visits were made to provincial health committees.

224.There is a strategic plan designed to raise adolescents’ awareness of matters relating to sexual and reproductive health. This plan has already played a part in bringing about a drop in the rate of teenage pregnancy among girls under 18 years of age.

225.The strategy of comprehensive action for adolescent and child health, adopted in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, the United States Agency for International Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Action, the Family and the Advancement of Women, and social media, has raised awareness of, and provided information on, sexual and reproductive health.

226.A comprehensive package of maternal and child health care is being implemented, including family planning, prenatal consultations, vaccination, medical attention at childbirth, postnatal consultations, newborn care, emergency obstetric and neonatal care, and check-ups to monitor children’s growth and development. The package has helped to reduce maternal and child mortality.

227.Investments have been made to provide comprehensive, high-quality, people-centred essential health care delivered by trained health professionals in the national health service. Proof of this is the increase in the percentage of health facilities that offer at least three modern family planning methods, a percentage that rose from 30 per cent in 2018 to 60 per cent in 2021, as called for in the national development plan for 2018–2022. There has also been an increase in the proportion of institutional childbirth services provided by qualified personnel, from 30 per cent in 2018 to 47 per cent in 2021, an increase in the number of health facilities offering comprehensive care visits for children, from 25 per cent in 2018 to 93 per cent in 2021, and an increase in the percentage of facilities offering comprehensive care for adolescents, from 10 per cent in 2018 to 93 per cent in 2021, exceeding the evaluation target set in the national development plan.

228.It was possible to provide two doses of tetanus vaccine to 46.3 per cent of women of childbearing age and pregnant women. However, the coverage of women who received the four doses of intermittent preventive treatment fell from 78 per cent in 2018 to 23 per cent in 2021.

229.Although 5,476 maternal deaths owing to complications in pregnancy or childbirth were recorded during the period from 2017 to the first quarter of 2022, a decreasing trend in the institutional maternal mortality rate has been confirmed, with a rate of 187 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021, the lowest since 2017, when the rate was 377 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. In the first quarter of 2022, mortality was 218 per 100,000 live births.

230.As was mentioned above, a national campaign against teenage pregnancy and child marriage is under way and the national strategy to prevent and combat early pregnancy and child marriage was approved.

231.The estimated national prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS is 1.9 per cent among persons between the ages of 15 and 49, which is the lowest rate in the Southern African Development Community.

232.The National Institute for Combating AIDS has taken steps to help ensure that the targets set out in the national health policy are reached, with an emphasis on universal access, prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Priority has been given to measures that include the following: making services for the prevention of mother‑to-child transmission of HIV an integral part of prenatal care; adding antiretroviral therapy and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections to the list of decentralized health services offered at the municipal level; developing a national plan for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; producing a handbook for nurses on antiretroviral therapy as part of a new approach to AIDS prevention and treatment for expectant mothers; and the surveillance of antiretroviral drug resistance.

233.Angola also joined in the implementation of the “90-90-90: Treatment for all” programme, with the objective that, by 2020, 90 per cent of all people living with HIV would know their HIV status, 90 per cent of all people diagnosed with HIV infection would receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90 per cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy would have viral suppression.

234.A national campaign, “Nascer livre para brilhar” (Born free to shine), is being implemented with the aim of eliminating paediatric HIV/AIDS by 2030, in line with the commitment made by African countries at the twentieth General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies, held in 2018 with the goals of raising awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in children and creating the conditions for all children with HIV‑positive mothers to be born free of the virus and in full health.

235.The campaign and programme are being rolled out in 665 prenatal clinics in all municipalities across the country.

Articles 13 and 14

Right to education

236.The right to education is enshrined in the Constitution and in the Education and Teaching System Framework Act (Act No. 17/16 of 7 October 2016), which ensures universal and free access to basic education. Education is one of the priority areas under the national development plan 2018–2022.

237.During the reporting period, Presidential Decree No. 187/17 of 16 August 2017 on a national policy for special education with a focus on inclusive education was adopted, and an acceleration plan to intensify literacy training and education for young adults was approved in order to extend the network of partners and diversify funding sources for literacy efforts.

238.In recent years, school infrastructure has expanded significantly. A total of 13,710 schools were in operation in the 2020/21 school year (15 of which offered special education). In the last four years, 670 new schools have been built. More than 101,000 classrooms are in use.

239.There are currently 220,000 teachers, a figure that has increased considerably thanks to the public competitive examinations held by the Ministry of Education.

240.There have been significant increases in school enrolment rates. The number of students enrolled in school increased from 8,337,224 in 2015 (55.6 per cent of whom were girls) to more than 10,000,000 in 2022.

241.The number of children not in school has decreased by 40 per cent.

242.To prevent dropout, safeguard the well-being of children in the school system and encourage children to stay in school, programmes have been implemented in the following areas: school meals; school environment and health (to promote personal hygiene and healthy lifestyles); water, sanitation and hygiene; school first aid; healthy eating; gender, sexuality and reproductive health education; girls’ empowerment; oral and visual health; sensory disabilities; prevention of the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; and physical activity and the promotion of sport at school.

243.To prevent girls from being excluded from the education system, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with parents and education officials, is implementing a strategy to work with the provincial education directorates to reactivate and strengthen the gender and human rights offices. The strategy will have an impact on provincial schools in terms of ensuring gender balance, providing psychoeducational support to victims of domestic violence, forced labour and adolescent pregnancy and to orphans, eliminating gender-based discrimination and enhancing girls’ participation in the education system.

244.In 2018, the Ministry of Education added comprehensive sexuality education to the primary and secondary school curricula, which will widen access to high-quality information, especially for girls.

245.In collaboration with the African Development Bank, the country is implementing a project for the education of adolescent girls, to promote equity in the internal scholarship system. The project targets 250 vulnerable girls from various regions of the country to ensure that they can access secondary schools and continue their studies until completing secondary education.

246.In addition, efforts are under way to implement a project for girls’ empowerment and learning for all, with funding from the World Bank, to provide 600,000 scholarships to vulnerable girls and strengthen the education system.

247.The Ministry of Education established a coordination committee to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in the education and teaching system. The new approach to mainstreaming human rights in the education system is also intended to empower girls at school; promote girls’ access to education and encourage them to stay in school; reintegrate underage mothers into the school system; raise awareness among parents and the community, including traditional leaders, to change attitudes regarding the practices of child and forced marriage; combat all forms of gender-based violence, in particular sexual violence and sexual harassment at and on the way to and from school; and ensure that underage mothers receive professional training, thereby fostering education, support and sustainability for them.

248.The committee will ensure that the education project for the San communities continues to be implemented in the provinces of Huila and Cuando Cubango. That project has already provided support to 3,000 children in the school system.

249.The national strategy to provide education services to nomadic populations and ethnic minority groups in Angola is intended to improve conditions for nomadic populations and ethnic minority groups (with a particular focus on the rights of girls), which often struggle to access education, safe drinking water and other means of subsistence.

250.A project to revitalize technical education and vocational training is currently being implemented with support from the European Union, in order to enhance the quality and relevance of curricula for, and qualifications earned in, those disciplines, thereby promoting the integration of young graduates into the labour market.

251.Enrolment in higher education increased from 261,214 students in 2018 to 314,849 students in 2021. The number of bachelor’s degrees awarded per year increased from 20,027 in 2017 to 29,652 in 2021, for a cumulative total of 72,623 degrees awarded. Over the same period, 931 students earned master’s degrees and 183 students earned doctorates, and 31,000 internal scholarships and 4,474 internal scholarships for postgraduate studies were awarded.

Article 15

Minority (or national) languages

252.A curricular adjustment programme (2018–2025) is under way in order to update, improve and establish the didactic and pedagogical conditions for the implementation of new curricular materials, with a focus on increasing the availability of quality education services. The programme provides for the inclusion of national languages in the curriculum of the national education and teaching system.

253.A bill on the languages of Angola is in the process of being approved.

Access to the Internet

254.Mobile telephone services in Angola reported 60,801 new subscribers, for a total of 14,937,350 current users.

255.From 2017 to 2022, the number of Internet service subscribers increased by more than 5 million people (see figure 9).

Figure 9

Internet access, 2017–2022

Source: Angolan Communications Institute.

256.There is a project to expand the use of communication technologies, in particular the Internet, at schools and media libraries. There are currently eight media libraries located in six of the country’s provinces.

Other general recommendations

Ratification of international human rights treaties

257.In recent years, Angola has ratified a large number of international human rights treaties at the United Nations and African Union levels.

258.Angola signed the following United Nations human rights treaties:

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (National Assembly Resolution No. 38/19 of 16 July 2019).

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (National Assembly Resolution No. 35/19 of 9 July 2019).

Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty (National Assembly Resolution No. 37/19 of 9 July 2019).

259.Thus, of the nine international treaties, Angola is a State party to seven and a signatory to another (the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance), for which the ratification process is under way. The country is examining the possibility of ratifying several other human rights instruments, including the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

260.In addition, the following treaties on international humanitarian law were ratified:

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I) (National Assembly Resolution No. 40/19 of 16 July 2019).

Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (National Assembly Resolution No. 39/19 of 16 July 2019).

Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (National Assembly Resolution No. 39/19 of 9 July 2019).

261.Angola has signed and/or ratified all regional human rights treaties at the level of the African Union human rights system. During the reporting period, the following treaties were ratified and/or signed:

Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (2004) (National Assembly Resolution No. 4/19 of 12 February 2019).

African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2012) (National Assembly Resolution No. 3/20 of 2 January 2020).

Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa (Resolution No. 15/22 of 7 April 2022) and Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa (Resolution No. 14/22 of 7 April 2022).

Indicators related to economic, social and cultural rights

262.In recent years, the National Statistical Institute has developed various indicators, many of which are related to the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights, including:

Survey on multiple health indicators, 2015–2016.

Survey on expenditure, income and employment in Angola, 2018–2019.

Quarterly employment surveys, from 2019 onwards.

Agriculture and fisheries census.

Business census.

Dissemination of the Committee’s recommendations

263.In accordance with transparency, information and dissemination policies, the concluding observations were translated and posted on the website of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (http://www.servicos.minjusdh.gov.ao), and a related book (1,000 copies) was published and disseminated countrywide.

264.Topics related to economic, social and cultural rights, periodic reports and concluding observations are covered in various human rights training programmes conducted by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, including training for judges and prosecutors at the National Institute of Judicial Studies, training for national police officers under a cooperation protocol between the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Ministry of the Interior, and training for education professions (National Education Research and Development Institute).

265.NGOs and other members of civil society actively participated in the follow-up on the concluding observations and in the national consultation process conducted before the submission of the present national report. A public debate on the implementation of the concluding observations was held in October 2020 with the participation of 50 representatives of social organizations and public institutions (at a time when attendance was limited owing to the COVID-19 pandemic).

266.The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has held bilateral and thematic meetings, such as the civil society forums on human rights, which are now held on an annual basis.

Final considerations

267.In conclusion, the Government wishes to highlight the importance of the adoption and implementation of the national human rights strategy and its action plan in conformity with international human rights treaties, in particular the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Angola recognizes the challenges to the implementation of the Covenant but reiterates its commitment to voluntarily upholding, respecting and protecting human rights in accordance with the provisions of the Covenant.