E/C.12/FRA/CO/4 ratifies Order No. 2014-1090 of 26 September 2014 on the accessibility of public transport and of buildings open to the public; (c) The issuance of official instructions on 6 February 2015 regarding the 2015 plan of action for the provision of housing to beneficiaries of the enforceable right to housing; (d) The expansion of the application of the direct payment mechanism under Act No. 2016-41 of 26 January 2016; (e) The launch of the action plan “Let Us All Join Forces to Overcome School Dropout”, which is aimed at halving the number of school dropouts by 2017 and helping those who have dropped out to return to school; (f) The completion of the reform of the asylum system begun in 2013 by means of the adoption of Act No. 2015-925 of 29 July 2015. C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations Applicability of the Covenant 5. While noting with satisfaction that the Court of Cassation of the State party has invoked provisions of the Covenant in a number of its judgments, the Committee is concerned by the fact that the Court has ruled that certain provisions of the Covenant are not applicable and that other courts in the State party have done so as well, including in respect of some of the provisions found to be admissible by the Court of Cassation. The Committee also takes note of the criteria established by the Council of State for the determination of the applicability of the terms of international treaties (art. 2 (1)). 6. The Committee urges the State party to take steps to ensure that the nation’s courts apply uniform standards regarding the applicability of the Covenant based on the jurisprudence of the Court of Cassation and the determination of the Council of State. In particular, it recommends that judges, lawyers and the general public be made fully aware of the justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights and of the possibility of invoking the Covenant in court. The Committee wishes to draw the State party’s attention to its general comment No. 9 (1998) on the domestic application of the Covenant at national level. Development assistance 7. The Committee finds it regrettable that the level of official development assistance provided by the State party falls short of the internationally agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP). It notes with concern that the due diligence requirements in the sphere of operations involving the State party’s provision of development assistance, such as those relating to sustainable development and to the mitigation of environmental and social risks, do not provide full protection for the rights enshrined in the Covenant (art. 2 (1)). 8. The Committee recommends that the State party redouble its efforts to raise the amount of development assistance which it provides to the internationally agreed level of 0.7 per cent of GNP. It also recommends that the State party develop robust methodological tools for analysing the impact that operations funded by development agencies have on the enjoyment of Covenant rights. In addition, it recommends that the State party include the Covenant in the compliance assessment framework for those agencies. 2 GE.16-12027