Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

List of issues in relation to the second periodic report of Cabo Verde *

1.The State Party is invited to submit in writing the information requested below (preferably not exceeding 10,700 words) by 30 November 2025.

A.General information

2.Referring to paragraphs 10 to 13 of the State Party report, please provide detailed information on the training provided on the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and their justiciability, including how many training sessions were provided, to whom and to how many persons, and whether there has been an impact. Please also provide information on how the legislature was involved in the implementation of and follow-up to the previous concluding observations and in the development of the second periodic report.

3.Please provide information on the number of cases in which the provisions of the Covenant have been invoked before the State Party’s domestic courts, and examples thereof. Please also provide information on how the new model for the composition of the National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship, mentioned in paragraph 7 of the State Party report, is aimed at increasing its functions and its resources and at strengthening its independence and its conformity with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles).

4.Please provide information on the impact of the measures taken with regard to the mitigation of climate change, mentioned in paragraphs 18 and 20 of the State Party report, including in relation to meeting the nationally determined contributions for reducing emissions that the State Party has set itself under the Paris Agreement. Please also provide information on the progress made in reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions and on targets that the State Party has set for further reductions. With respect to climate change adaptation policies and measures, please provide information on:

(a)How the State Partyassesses the impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, in particular for marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and groups;

(b)The impact of the measures taken to strengthen preparedness for and responses to natural disasters and of the disaster risk reduction measures mentioned in paragraphs 15–26 of the State Party report;

(c)Which institutions are tasked with the development and implementation of climate change adaptation measures and policies for slow-onset impacts in different areas, such as agriculture, housing and health, and how coordination among the institutions responsible for disaster preparedness and management is ensured;

(d)Whether the State Party has applied to the International Monetary Fund for special drawing rights funds and/or to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, and the results of such requests.

B.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1–5)

Maximum available resources (art. 2 (1))

5.Please provide information on the measures included in the tax reform programme aimed at increasing the competitivity of the economy mentioned in paragraph 46 of the State Party’s report, as well as on their impact; and on the measures adopted to improve the State Party’s capacity to oversee its exclusive economic zone. Please also provide updated information on the evolution of the following, covering the past 10 years:

(a)The proportion of the population living below the nationally defined poverty line;

(b)Levels of inequality, before and after taxes and transfers, if possible defined as the ratio between the total income of the richest 10 per cent of the population and the total income of the poorest 40 per cent and as the ratio between the assets owned by the richest 10 per cent of the population and the assets owned by the poorest 50 per cent;

(c)The economy, in particular through the annual variations of gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita and the level of public debt in proportion to GDP;

(d)The proportion of public revenue generated through taxes and as a percentage of GDP, the proportion of public revenue obtained through direct and indirect taxes, the corporate tax revenue rate and the percentage of total revenue generated from personal tax collected on the incomes of the richest 10 per cent of the population, as well as provide an evaluation of the amount of tax evasion and tax avoidance and the fiscal cost of the main tax benefits;

(e)Public expenditure as a percentage of GDP and, within total public expenditure, the proportion of the public budget allocated to social spending, including social security, food, water and sanitation, housing, health and education;

(f)Any fiscal policies adopted in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

6.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to prevent and eliminate corruption, and its root causes, including the measures mentioned in paragraphs 47–61 of the State Party report to combat corruption. Please also provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to protect whistle-blowers and to ensure a safe environment for anti-corruption activists.

7.Please provide information on legislative, administrative or other measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that businesses, in particular those in the tourism industry, respect the economic, social, and cultural rights of all persons and apply the principle of due diligence throughout their operations and that victims of violations of economic, social and cultural rights by business entities have access to effective remedies in the State Party.

Non-discrimination (art. 2 (2))

8.Please provide information on the specific steps that the State Party is taking to approve the anti-discrimination bill presented by the National Commission for Human Rights and Citizenship three years ago. Please also provide information on the main provisions and scope of the bill, as well as the proposed definition of discrimination contained therein.

Equal rights of men and women (art. 3)

9.Please provide information on the preliminary results of the 2021–2025 National Plan for Gender Equality, mentioned in paragraphs 71 and 74 of the State Party report, as well as those of the Parity Act, mentioned in paragraphs 73, 74 and 84 of the State Party report, including in promoting effective parity in the composition of elected and decision-making bodiesand at the decision-making levels of the public administration, the private sector and civil society.

10.Please provide information on other measures taken to improve national legislation to ensure equality between men and women and on effective measures, including legislative measures, to prevent and combat violence against women.

C.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6–15)

Right to work (art. 6)

11.Please provide data for the reporting period, disaggregated by gender, age, disability status and urban and rural areas, on labour force participation, employment rates, underemployment rates and unemployment rates and on the proportion of employment in the formal economy and in the informal economy.

Right to just and favourable conditions of work (art. 7)

12.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to evaluate whether the current level of the minimum wage is sufficient to guarantee a decent standard of living. Please also provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to expand the coverage of the minimum wage and to enforce employers’ legal obligation to pay the minimum wage, including in the agricultural and domestic service sectors.

13.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to bring more workers into the formal economy and to promote the formalization of informal businesses, including further information on the Plan for Accelerating the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy. Please also provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to guarantee the right to just and favourable conditions of work for domestic workers and workers in rural areas, including protection from abuse and harassment.

14.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to strengthen preventive occupational safety and health measures, to review the national occupational safety and health policy and to adopt technical standards on the use of certain equipment, machinery and substances, including in the construction sector. In addition, please provide information on the number of labour inspectors and on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure adequate and frequent inspections of working conditions, including on smaller islands.

Trade union rights (art. 8)

15.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure the right to strike, to form and join trade unions and to promote collective bargaining.

Right to social security (art. 9)

16.Please provide updated data on the persons, including domestic workers and persons working in the informal economy, covered by the various social security schemes, disaggregated by gender, age, disability status and urban and rural areas.Please also provide information on the status of the expected update to the social security pension, mentioned in paragraph 98 of the State Party report, including the proportion of persons over 60 covered. Please also provide information on the preliminary results of the 2022–2026 National Strategy for the Elimination of Extreme Poverty, mentioned in paragraphs 27, 94, 99 and 159 of the State Party report.

17.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure the effective enforcement of Decree-Law No. 49/2009, mentioned in paragraph 101 of the State Party report, on the inclusion of domestic workers in the social security scheme for salaried workers.

Protection of the family and children (art. 10)

18.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to eradicate the worst forms of child labour and information on the impact of the measures taken to eradicate the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, as mentioned in paragraphs 158 and166–174 of the State Party report.

Right to an adequate standard of living (art. 11)

19.Please provide information on the national poverty line and updated information on the poverty rate, including data on the number of children living in poverty, disaggregated by age, sex, gender, ethnicity, disability and region, over the past five years. Please provide information on the impact of the measures to alleviate poverty mentioned in paragraphs27–44 and 158–165 of the State Party report on the poverty rate, including that of children, women and persons living in rural and remote areas.

20.Please provide information on the preliminary results of the second Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development, the 2021–2030 National Housing Plan and the social housing schemes, mentioned in paragraphs 119–122 of the State Party report. In particular, please provide information on the progress made towards achieving a reduction in the quantitative housing deficit to 19,000 and the qualitative deficit to about 40,000 homes by 2026, as envisaged in the second Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development .

21.Please provide information on the percentage of the population with access to drinking water through public networks and progress made towards achieving 88 per cent coverage, thanks to ongoing investments, as mentioned in paragraph 125 of the State Party report. Please also provide updated information on the impacts of the National Strategic Plan for Water and Sanitation and other relevant policies to accelerate access to clean and safe drinking water and improved sanitation in the State Party, including the availability, accessibility, affordability and quality thereof. Please further provide information on the coverage of the subsidized water rate, in particular among low-income households.

22.Please also provide information on the impact of the 2017–2021 National Plan for Agricultural Investment, Food Security and Nutrition and of the 2017–2026 Strategic Plan for the Rural Extension System, mentioned in paragraph 15 of the State Party report, on the right to food and nutritional security in the State Party, in particular for women, children and disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups. Please further provide information on the impact of the measures mentioned in paragraph 15 of the State Party report to mitigate the impact of extreme weather and climate phenomena on access to water.

Right to physical and mental health (art. 12)

23.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure the availability, accessibility and quality of healthcare services, in particular for persons living in remote areas, including the recruitment of specialized medical personnel on the less populated islands and improvements to the medical evacuation service. Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure the accessibility and adaptability of healthcare services, including mental health and sexual and reproductive health services, including in rural areas.

24.Please also provide information of the results of the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for Mental Health adopted by the Government for the period 2021–2025.

25.Please further provide updated information on HIV prevalence in the general population and among sex workers and gay men and other men who have sex with men in the past five years and on the impact of the country’s fifth Strategic Plan to Combat HIV/AIDS, covering the period 2022–2026.

26.Please provide information of the implementation and impact of Decree-Law No. 21/2019, which promotes the development of policies and programmes to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to the broadest possible range of goods and services serving to enhance their autonomy, independence, quality of life and social inclusion.

27.Please also provide information on the prevalence and evolution of non-communicable diseases within the population over the past five years and on measures undertaken to address the issue, such as taxes on tobacco products, media campaigns on tobacco use, taxes on alcohol, salt-reduction policies and policies on marketing to children.

28.Please further provide information about the legal framework in relation to people who use drugs and about the availability and accessibility of harm reduction services and the measures taken to ensure that drug use treatment, including when provided in the private sector, is based on evidence and complies with human rights.

Right to education (arts. 13 and 14)

29.Please provide information on the impact of Decree-Law No. 13/2018, mentioned in paragraph 140 of the State report, on the support provided to disadvantaged households with regard to covering the direct and indirect costs of primary and secondary education.

30.Please also provide data on the number and rates of children and young people who are not attending school, disaggregated by sex, pregnancy status, geographical location and level of education. In addition, please provide information on the impact on school attendance of the measures mentioned in paragraphs 139, 141, 144, and 145 of the State Party report.

Cultural rights (art. 15)

31.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to improve internet coverage and guarantee affordable internet access, in particular for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, including in rural and remote areas.