E/C.12/DJI/CO/1-2 5. The Committee welcomes the adoption of legislative and policy measures that contribute to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights, in particular: (a) The adoption of Act No. 55/AN/09/6 L on violence against women, particularly female genital mutilation; (b) The adoption of Act No. 174/AN/07/5 L on protection measures appropriate to the situation of persons living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups; (c) The abolition of import duty on basic food products; (d) The implementation of a project to upgrade the urban water supply network; (e) The provision of medicines for pregnant women and tuberculosis drugs, triple-combination therapy and contraceptives free of charge; (f) The improvement of access to prenatal and postnatal care, particularly through the provision of such care free of charge; (g) Somali and Afar language preservation and study activities carried out by the Language Institute of the Study and Research Centre of Djibouti and the establishment of the Regional Somali Language Academy in June 2013; and (h) The issuance since July 2013 of birth certificates to children born in refugee camps. C. Principal subjects of concern and recommendations 6. The Committee regrets that there is a lack of information on cases in which the provisions of the Covenant have been invoked in the domestic courts of the State party, despite the fact that the provisions take precedence over ordinary statutes, and on activities to raise awareness about economic, social and cultural rights among members of the justice system and civil society (art. 2, para. 1). The Committee recommends that the State party include education on economic, social and cultural rights and the courts’ ability to uphold those rights in the training programmes for judges and lawyers. The Committee also recommends that the State party carry out campaigns to raise public awareness about human rights and economic, social and cultural rights, in particular in the languages spoken in the country and through the use of appropriate communications media that are available and accessible to all. The Committee draws the State party’s attention to its general comment No. 9 (1998) on the domestic application of the Covenant. 7. The Committee is concerned about the lack of independence of the National Human Rights Commission and the inadequacy of resources that are given to it, which constitute an obstacle to its role of protecting and promoting economic, social and cultural rights (art. 2, para. 1). The Committee recommends that the State party expedite the current legislative process to establish an independent human rights institution in accordance with the Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (annex to General Assembly resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993, the Paris Principles) and ensure that due attention is given to economic, social and cultural rights in its mandate and that the institution has the necessary resources to fulfil its mandate. The Committee invites the State party to seek the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in this undertaking. 8. The Committee regrets the absence of reliable statistics that would help to assess progress made in achieving economic, social and cultural rights (art. 2, para. 1). 2 GE.13-49993