CRC/C/15/Add.24 page 2 service voluntary as well as ensuring that it does not take place before the age of 18. The revision of policy, including the greater priority being accorded to meeting the basic social needs of the poorer sections of the population, is also welcomed. 4. The Committee notes with satisfaction the positive support and encouragement the Government is giving to developing cooperation with the National Commissioner for the Protection of Human Rights, inter-governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in determining measures and priorities to improve the protection and promotion of the rights of the child in Honduras. 5. The Committee notes with interest the signing of the "Pact for children", an initiative which aims at strengthening the municipalities’ involvement in the application and monitoring of the rights guaranteed under the Convention. The Committee acknowledges the State party’s support to initiatives at the regional level, including through the Central American Parliament’s Commission on the Child, to address issues relating to children such as trafficking in children, addiction and child labour. 6. The Committee takes note of the initiative to collect information on the organizations working for and with children throughout the country. It also takes note of the initiative to map out the poorest areas of the country with a view to prioritizing the provision of basic services to the areas most in need. C. Factors and difficulties impeding the implementation of the Convention 7. The Committee notes that the measures taken by the Government of Honduras to repay the external debt and to implement the structural adjustment programme have put a strain on the country’s resources. The deteriorating economic situation in Honduras is causing a worsening in the living and social conditions of Hondurans, so much so that about 60 per cent of the population live in extreme poverty. It also recognizes that drought, floods and other ecological problems have had serious consequences for Honduran families, dependent on agriculture as a means of livelihood, to maintain an adequate standard of living and thus support themselves and their children. D. Principal subjects of concern 8. As almost 60 per cent of the Honduran population is under the age of 18, the country’s worsening economic situation has had serious consequences for the children in Honduras. The Committee notes that the social inequalities existing in the country, including through the unequal distribution of income and land, have contributed to the considerable problems facing children in Honduras. 9. The Committee is concerned that the resources available for the implementation of the rights recognized in the Convention are insufficient to ensure adequate progress in improving the situation of children in Honduras.