Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights reviews initial report of Niger

GENEVA (14 March 2018) - The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concluded today the consideration of the initial report of Niger on its implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Introducing the report, Ben Omar Mohamed, Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Protection of Niger, said that the Economic and Social Development Plan 2012-2015 (extended to 2016) aimed to promote economic, social and cultural well-being.  To realize the constitutionally guaranteed right to food, protect the people from hunger and ensure their involvement in the national food security, the “3N Initiative” – Nigerians Nourishing Nigerians – had been adopted in 2012.  Important progress was being made in increasing number of children in school, which stand at 77.8 per cent in 2017; girl-child enrolment had seen steep increase, from 44 per cent in 2013 to the current 72 per cent.  Maternal and infant mortality rates had been reduced.  In 2017, the amendment to the law on mines defined that the income raised from the mining tax and other taxes arising from the exploitation of natural resources was to be equally divided between the Government and the municipalities where the resource was located.  Despite all the progress to fulfil the provisions of the Covenant, important challenges remained, particularly the strong demographic pressure, insecurity, and climate change.  To confront those, Niger had adopted the strategy for sustainable development and inclusive growth “Niger 2035” based on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the “2020 Vision” of the Economic Community of West African States.

In the dialogue that followed, Committee Experts noted that although Niger was rich in resources, including uranium, gas, iron, oil, gold and diamonds, nearly 20 per cent of its population could not meet their food needs; more than 73 per cent of children under five and about 43 per cent of women of childbearing age suffered from anemia, particularly in the rural areas.  They raised concern about the detrimental effects of the extractive industries on environment, livelihoods and water availability, and the impact on indigenous and pastoralist peoples, particularly Fulani, Tuareg and Toubou, who had lost much of their territory to the benefit of extractive companies.  Experts took note of the legal system in Niger in which civil law existed alongside customary law, and in particular the fact that age of marriage was set at 15 years of age, but girls got married as early as 12.  Social protection was not universal, minimum wage was not a living wage, and 31 per cent of children were involved in some form of work.  As a sub-Saharan country with young and rapidly growing population, Niger faced numerous problems in the effective realization of the right to education, which was manifested in persistently low enrolment figures especially in rural and poor areas, the continued gap in the enrolment and completion rates between girls and boys, and low quality of education.

In her concluding remarks, Laura-Maria Crãciunean-Tatu, Committee Expert and the Rapporteur for Niger, thanked the delegation for the very comprehensive and sincere answers and urged Niger to approach Committee’s concluding observation in a cooperative and open spirit.

Iro Sani, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Niger, said in his closing remarks, that the National Assembly had heard the Committee’s call to address a number of legislative issues, and in particular to fill the gaps in the legal framework.  

Mr. Mohamed concluded by reassuring the Committee that Niger would expeditiously address all the issues the Committee had raised.

Maria Virginia Bras Gomes, Committee Chairperson, in her concluding remarks, urged Niger to dialogue with the Committee on a regular basis in order to keep track of success and identify areas where more or better efforts were needed.

The delegation of Niger consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Protection, National Assembly, Ministry of Justice, First Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Child Protection, High Commission for the 3N Initiative, Inter-Ministerial Committee for the preparation of treaty body and Universal Periodic Review reports, Ministry for Primary Education, Literacy, Promotion of National Languages and Civic Education, Ministry of Plan, Ministry for Cultural Renaissance, Arts and Social Modernization, and representatives of the Permanent Mission of Niger to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The Committee will issue its concluding observations and recommendations on the report of Niger towards the end of its session, which concludes on 29 March 2018.  

All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.  The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings is available at UN Web TV.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. today, 13 March to review the initial report of Bangladesh (E/C.12/BGD/1).

Report 

The Committee has before it the initial report of Niger (E/C.12/NER/1).

Presentation of the Report

BEN OMAR MOHAMED, Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Protection of Niger, in the introduction of the report, noted that Niger had acceded to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1986 and that the report before the Committee covered the period from 1988 to 2015.  The report had been developed through an inclusive and participatory process involving state institutions and civil society organizations, and in its first part it provided information related to the general framework for the protection of human rights in Niger, while the second part reported on the legislative, administrative, political and other measures taken to give effect to the provisions of the Covenant, he explained.  Niger had taken important legislative steps to give life to economic, social and cultural rights, which it considered a priority.  Niger had ratified a number of international human rights treaties including the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, and had put in place a range of framework documents for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights in the country.  

The Economic and Social Development Plan 2012-2015 (extended to 2016) aimed to speed up the economic growth in the country and improve people's lives through the promotion of economic, social and cultural well-being.  In order to realize the constitutionally guaranteed right to food, protect the people from hunger and ensure their involvement in the national food security, in 2012 Niger had put in place the “3N Initiative” – Nigerians Nourishing Nigerians – and had adopted its acceleration plan 2014-2015.  In 2012, Niger had also taken out food shortage insurance in order to mitigate recurrent food shortages.  The Education and Training Sector Programme 2014-2024, a holistic document uniting all levels of education and training, saw a construction of 2,500 new classes per year and the recruitment of a great number of new teachers.  All this had led to a gross primary school enrolment rate of 77.8 percent and the completion rate of 80 per cent in 2017.  Important progress had been made in education of girls, whose primary enrolment rates increased from 64.7 in 2013 to the current 72.1 per cent, and primary completion rates jumped from 44.3 per cent in 2013 to 72.9 per cent in 2017.

Turning to the measures taken to improve access to and quality of health services, Mr. Mohamed said that, despite economic troubles, Niger had implemented the Health Development Plan, the reproductive health strategy, and the "School of Husbands".  Steps were taken to ensure free access to health care and reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and in particular HIV/AIDS, which, coupled with other measures such as ante-natal and post-natal visits and services, free caesarean, treatment for obstetric fistula, had significantly improved mother and child health.  The creation of mother and child health centres throughout the country contributed to the reduction in maternal and infant mortality rates.  The Ministry for Humanitarian Action and for the Management of Disasters had been created in 2016 to respond to the growing incidence of humanitarian crises and natural disasters.  Job creation was a priority, especially for young graduates; during the period 2011 to 2016, over 575,000 new jobs had been created including close to 115,000 permanent ones.  The Labour Code had been adopted in August 2017.

The right of people to a healthy environment was guaranteed by the Constitution.  The 2017 amendment to the law on mines defined that the income raised from the mining tax and other taxes arising from the exploitation of natural resources was to be equally divided between the Government and the municipalities where the resource was located.  In order to mitigate environmental degradation caused by the extractive industries, environmental audits of the mining industry were being carried out every three years, while guides on good environmental practices for the extractive industries were developed and disseminated regularly.  Despite all the progress to fulfil the provisions of the Covenant, important challenges remained, particularly the strong demographic pressure, insecurity, and climate change.  To confront those, Niger had adopted the strategy for sustainable development and inclusive growth “Niger 2035” which was based on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the “2020 Vision” of the Economic Community of West African States.

Questions by the Country Rapporteur 

LAURA-MARIA CRÃCIUNEAN-TATU, Committee Expert and the Rapporteur for Niger, welcomed the ratification by Niger of a number of human rights international instruments including the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, and remarked that much remained to be done in the implementation of the provisions concerning women.

Although Niger was rich in resources, including uranium, gas, iron, oil, gold and diamonds, nearly 20 per cent of its population could not meet their food needs; more than 73 per cent of children under five and about 43 per cent of women of childbearing age suffered from anemia, particularly in rural areas.  

Several sources had noted the detrimental effects of the activities of private actors in the extractive industries, noted the Rapporteur, wondering what was being done to protect populations living in mining areas.

Ms. Crãciunean-Tatu raised concern about the rights of indigenous and pastoralist peoples, particularly Fulani, Tuareg and Toubou, who had lost much of their territory to the benefit of extractive companies.  Did Niger recognize these indigenous peoples and their access to land, which was essential for their economic, social and cultural development?

The Country Rapporteur also noted the lack of measures in Niger to promote the employment of persons with disabilities.

Gender inequality remained an area of concern.  The participation of women in economy was very low, only 43 per cent, while only 15 deputies were women.  Furthermore, Niger was not a party to the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, which raised an issue of how the members of the National Commission for Human Rights were appointed.

Responses by the Delegation

Responding to questions raised by the Country Rapporteur, the delegation stressed that Niger had come a long way, given the tough climate and being at the crossroads of cultures which meant that cultural heritage strongly affected everyday life, and the constant state of insecurity caused by the war and conflict in the region including against Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.  Niger was trying to honour its international obligations all the while protecting the security of the country and its people.

The delegate stressed that Niger did not recognize indigenous peoples and indigenous ethnic groups; Niger was a melting pot of cultures and one nation living under one flag.

Stressing Niger’s high mining potential – for example, it was the world’s fourth producer of uranium - the delegation said that the current regulations strictly regulated extractive industries, especially in the uranium sector.  Licence holders were obliged to respect the environment and help the local communities.  In addition, mining only occupied a small part of the deserts which was a public land.  Mining operations consumed large quantities of water and the mining companies were obliged to dig boreholes so that the local communities and the livestock could have access to water.  The delegation emphasized that 85 percent of profits coming from the mining business went to Niger and only 15 percent to the operators; the total revenue from mining represented only four percent of the national budget, which was very small compared to Norway, for example.

The Criminal Code in its article 270 criminalized slavery and also a range of slavery-like crimes such as sale of human beings.  The National Commission for Human Rights had lost its status A but had regained it since and was now compliant with the Paris Principles.  The delegation stressed that women had to run for this office in order to be appointed.  As defined by the Constitution, all international treaties signed by Niger prevailed over domestic law.  

The security environment in Niger presented the biggest obstacle to improving the state of education.  This sector remained a priority as evidenced by the allocation of 18.9 per cent of the national budget to it; of those, about 40 per cent were allocated to the Ministry for Primary Education.  The delegation stressed that there was no gender-based discrimination in access to education, but there was a disparity between girls and boys.  The increase in the gross schooling rate for girls was evident in the period between 2013 and 2017 and it was constantly being improved.

In terms of gender equality, a Ministry was in place dedicated to the advancement of women and children protection, while the National Observatory for promoting gender equality monitored the implementation and the effectiveness of measures taken to promote and protect women’s rights.  Quotas had been adopted for each gender for election into decision-making posts.  

Questions by the Committee Experts

Committee Experts recognized the challenges that Niger faced in terms of security due to foreign interference in the region, and wondered how resources were allocated to other areas given that security was a number one priority.  An important problem in Niger was its administration, which was centralized, old and not computerized, and which showed signs of corruption and clan preference.  Was it possible to envisage the decentralization and modernization of the administration, and a creation of digital archives?

Committee Experts asked which body of law prevailed if domestic law was in conflict with Niger’s international obligations, noting an example of age of marriage which in Niger was 15 years of age while girls got married as early as 12.  What laws were discriminatory when it comes to gender equality, and how was gender parity included in the law?  

The delegation was asked to explain how judicial and legal officers were trained in human rights and in particular the Covenant rights and the Optional Protocol; whether the reform of the Criminal Code included a prohibition of descent-based discrimination; measures to truly promote female employment and balance family and professional lives.

Experts raised concern about the minimum wage which was insufficient for a normal living, and inquired about the social protection policy, including coverage, targeting of the poorest regions, and number of beneficiaries.  

Additional issue that was raised was to what extent the international companies contributed to the establishment of sound and advanced infrastructure for the development of the country, and how their compliance with the Covenant was assured.  

What was the impact of the measures taken to facilitate the transformation of the informal economy into a formal one?

Experts noted with concern that 31 percent of children were working and asked about remedies to deal with the matter.  How was the labour code implemented when it came to small companies and what was being done to stop the fall in the number of working women which was evident in the last 12 months?

Replies by the Delegation

The delegation said that decentralization had been going on for decades, and there were now regional councils, municipalities, regional assemblies in which all ethnic groups and political parties were represented.  Having undergone numerous national organizational changes in search for the best democratic order, Niger had changed for the better when it came to the implementation of human rights.  The evidence of this was surely the adoption of the Optional Protocol.  Niger was aware that the world of today was different and would certainly move towards the modern times and developed countries step by step; for this, it needed time, encouragement and support.  

The country’s economy was based on the rural world - agriculture, livestock, fisheries and pastoralism.  A good harvest year would have an extraordinary impact on the smooth running of the administration, even if only 11 per cent of the territory was arable land.  The population doubled every twenty years.  All its governments had learned not to rely solely on uranium revenues, so it was diversifying its economy and pursuing targeted development.  The fight for the progress, for the future generations would surely continue.

Concerning the dualism of the legal system in which civil law existed alongside customary law, the delegation explained that 90 percent of the population was being governed by the customary law in matters such as marriage, inheritance, and property.  Everyone could also ask for the application of the civil law.  Customary law changed over time and there were no conflicts between those two bodies of law, and international law prevailed in case of conflict.

In relation to the age of marriage, the delegation explained that most people resorted to customary law in matters, and said that any customs contrary to domestic or international law was not be applied.  The custom did not fix the age of marriage, but the Council of Ministers had decreed the criminalization of the marriage of girls before the age of 16 in order to ensure they attended school.  Initiatives are also being taken to delay the age of girls' marriage and pregnancy, while penalties were imposed on parents of boys who married girls who were still in school.  

The delegation stressed that all people had their own history and evolved according to their own dynamics, and warned against modelling customs from abroad.  The involvement of the religious leaders, who had an enormous influence on people, in the implementation of the provisions of the Covenant have a huge impact on changing the mind-set of the people and in the long-term advancement.

Niger had adopted the laws to address corruption which promoted stiff sentences; more than 500 cases currently pursued had originated through the corruption hotline established in the Ministry of Justice.

Stressing the critical importance of State administration, the delegation said that Niger was progressing the modernization of the administration, and decentralization had been accelerated by the 1994 agreements, thus effectively delegating the power from the central to the local levels.

The Ministry for Industrial Development aimed to create Niger’s own industries, and in this, international companies were the partners.  They were reacting positively to the obligations stemming from the Covenant, and Niger was pushing strongly to impose the obligations coming from the Covenant.  The informal economy was being formalized by putting in place legal provisions and changing the mind-sets of people, and this was a gradual process.

Niger was taking steps to improve the social protection, but it could only give what it had.  As soon as the income increased, the minimum wage would surely be increased.  When it came to labour inspections, efforts were being made to allocate more funds to expand the number of labour inspectors.

The delegation stressed that children were protected from worst forms of child labour and could not work in any environment that endangered their lives and development.  However, the largest number of children worked in the informal sector where the regulations were not applied so strictly.  

In terms of the participation of persons with disabilities in employment, a delegate said that there was a five per cent quota for persons with disabilities in the public sector: its implementation was closely monitored by the labour inspectors.

The ten per cent quota for women in electoral posts brought about increased political representation of women, who today represented 27 of the 113 members of parliament, or 15.5 per cent, and women held the posts of ministers and as heads of companies.

Labour inspectors were present in all regions; according to the labour code, they had to visit all companies at least once a month and the companies were obliged to welcome them.  The inspectors had the right to check the list of the employed personal and to react in case of child labour, as well as with any issues related to health at work, security and working conditions.  The Government was working on raising awareness about the labour code and labour inspection among the employers.

Children’s domestic work was not a problem since children could manage both school and work with their families.  Labour inspectors were paying particular attention to the situation of children working in mines; educating parents on this matter was of extreme importance.  Gold panning activities used to be where most children worked but not today,

Questions by the Committee Experts

In the third round of questions, a Committee Expert took up the issue of violence against women noting that a high number of women, 95 percent in some areas, said that they had been victim of violence at least once in their lifetime a victim of violence. What was being done in that regard?  In relation to the 3N Initiative, the delegation was asked what was being done to ensure that it benefited small land owners and pastoralists, and that the local providers of goods could compete with the larger companies.

The Expert pointed to the different, and often conflicting interests, of the parties in relation to the guarantee of the rights to food, and highlighted in particular the problem with access to land for widows, as customary law in most cases guaranteed the ownership of the land for the family of the deceased husband.  Shouldn’t that be a priority in the problem of child malnutrition since it women’s land ownership was a crucial element in the reduction of the child malnutrition?  Further, what was Niger doing to prevent pastoralists being cut from the grazing lands

What was being done to respect the land ownership rights of the population evicted from their land particularly in the mining areas such as Zinder, the Kandadji High Dam, the Ecosystem Restoration Program, and the Niger River Development?

On the right to housing, were the untitled owners protected against evictions?

Responses by the Delegation

A delegate addressed the issue of violence against women and said that Niger was working with the civil society organizations, providing centres for female victims of the violence where they could report the violence and get help.  Special police force had been set up to handle gender-based violence.  The strategy to combat violence against women was not a failure, noted a delegate because the progress in this area could only be slow.  

The agricultural sector contributed 40 per cent of the gross domestic product of Niger. In order to protect the rights of the small land owners and pastoralists, the 3N Initiative, launched five years ago, had brought a new vision that sought to get around the drought by focusing on improving water retention and streamlining livestock production.  Within this framework, eleven priority investment programs in agriculture, fisheries, fish farming and animal husbandry had been set up.  

The "farmer's house" allowed the small-scale producers to buy inputs at a good price and to diversify their agricultural production.  This had improved productivity by 4.2 per cent and had earned recognition from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  The Initiative also brought farmers together to increase their bargaining power and get them better conditions for short-term credit.  The Food Production Investment Fund had three windows, which allowed each of the actors to go to a specific counter to take out a loan.

The food security fund was fully operational; it provided loans to producers of all sizes and in particular to small and medium sized ones, which had proven to be a strategy that ensured food security in the poorest rural regions.

On the matter of the relationship between land ownership and companies, it was not obligatory for the land to be sold, but companies could lease the land from the owners.

In terms of expropriation of land for mining activities, the delegation reiterated that private property was protected by the Constitution, therefore, mining operations were set on the public land.  The compensation provided by the mining companies was used to improve the lives of the local population.

It was possible for women to own the land, and there were indeed problems in inheritance, with certain cultures in Niger preventing women from inheriting land from their parents.  There were also areas where that was not the case.  The custom went far back in history, and there was no written law preventing women from land ownership.  In relation to customary ownership of land, customary owners had the same rights as the tittle owners, and were too fully compensated if their land was expropriated.

Questions by Committee Experts

Continuing the interactive dialogue, Committee Experts asked what guarantees were in place for the poorest population groups not to be excluded from accessing health care, and also asked about concrete strategies to reduce maternal mortality rates and promote women’s access to contraception.  

The delegation was asked to provide additional data concerning centres for victims of violence against women, how many staff worked in the special police forces for gender-based violence, and how the law treated violence against women.  Was domestic violence criminalized and what was the age limit for a rape to be treated as a statutory one?

On the subject of extractive projects that consumed huge quantities of water and the pollution they created, especially in case of uranium, what measures were set up to offset such impacts and protect the right to food of the concerned population?  What system was in place to prevent investors from harming economic, social and cultural rights of the people?

Experts noted with concern the presence of thousands of refugees from Nigeria and the arrivals from Mali which sometimes amounted to 1,000 per day, and asked how refuges, migrants and internally displaced persons were considered when it came to funds allocation?

Responses by the Delegation

On the matter of access to health services for the poorest members of society, Niger had mapped the poorest regions of the country and provided people living there with a card that enabled them to get the medicine at a half price.  There was an active strategy to reduce maternal mortality, which included improving access to contraception, increasing number of attended births, legal advisory, and the promotion of education of young women.  A law was in place which regulated access to contraception; it guaranteed the right of women to contraception and removed the requirement of husband’s consent for sterilization.

In cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Niger had passed a food security directive and had adopted nutritional strategy in 2011. The 3N Initiative had been a leap forward and it started with small land owners and along with the transfer of power to the local communities.


The delegation reiterated that the area occupied by the mining companies was so small that it did not affect the lives of pastorals and their livestock.  The local population had been educated about the processes of the mining industry so as not to repeat the mistakes from the past, for example taking pieces of uranium in their hands.  Although the companies used huge quantities of water, that did not represent the issue since there was no lack of water in these areas.  Furthermore, the mining companies had invested substantial amounts of money to fund local education and improve water access infrastructure.  

There were around 100 spots where refugees, migrants and people affected by war and conflict were being assisted; many had been given the Niger citizenship.

Year 2017 had marked the start of the national strategy to eradicate gender-based violence; it had been preceded by a national survey in which all forms of violence and all gender and age groups had been included.  The survey results formed the basis for the strategy which aimed to reduce to the number of people who suffered gender-based violence to 15 per cent by 2020.  There were 115 shelters for victims of violence and the police forces had been trained in protection of women and children, and were well familiar with procedures related to gender-based violence.

Niger had adopted the law in 2013 which reviewed the definition of rape and also defined and criminalized female genital mutilation.  The delegation stressed the critical importance of education in addressing the practice of female genital mutilation.  The age limit for the statutory rape was 13, however but cases involving girls under the age of 18 could also be considered a statutory rape.  Domestic violence was included in the Criminal Code.

Questions by the Committee Experts

In the final cluster of questions, Committee Experts raised questions related to the right to education, noting that as a sub-Saharan country, Niger faced numerous problems in the effective realization of this right.  Commending Niger for the educational reforms which had proven effective, Experts took note of the remaining challenges which included low budgetary allocations and an increase in education fees, decrease in the number of teachers, persistently low enrolment figures, as well as a gender gap, and social exclusion of some groups.  The delegation was asked to comment on the effectiveness of the education system, expound on the main obstacles in improving quality and access to education in the country, and inform of the measures taken to reduce regional disparities in access and quality of education.

Experts also asked about the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream education, who taught religion in schools, whether pregnant girls could return and continue their schooling, and the system of human rights education and training.

Experts acknowledged the steps Niger took to improve cultural infrastructure and establish new cultural centres, sport facilities and libraries, and wondered about the participation of persons with disabilities in sports activities.  How many official languages were there, what was the situation concerning access to the Internet access especially in rural areas, and why Niger refused to acknowledge the existence of indigenous people?

Responses by the Delegation

The delegation said that the education system was facing important challenges, and two major ones were rapid demographic growth of over three per cent per year, and the quality of education.  Niger was committed to ensuring universal access to primary education and to that end, it was increasing the number of schools and recruiting new teachers.  Quality was a serious issue, demonstrated by the fact that in the recent performance assessment of primary level students, Niger came out last among the ten African countries that had taken part, which had led to the adoption of the road map for the restoration of the quality of the education.

When it came to resource allocation, despite security issues which plagued the country, education sector received the largest portion of the public budget - 18.9 percent.  Remarkable progress had been achieved over the past twenty years in improving access to education; the gross schooling rate was now 77.8 percent and continued to rise with the final goal being universal education.

In 2013, some 500,000 new pupils had entered the primary schools; and this year, the number was 600,000 and Niger faced a challenge in ensuring access to education for such a large number of students.  To meet this challenge, new classrooms at the rate of 2,100 per year were being built.  There was no shortage of teachers, confirmed the delegation, even though the number of teachers had fallen.  Niger had risen to the challenge of increasing the quality of education and was spending three billion CFA francs per year, with the hope of achieving universal education in the near future.  

On the matter of gender equality and gender gap in school enrolment, the impact of the policy was positive, as seen in the ever-growing rates of girl child primary school enrolment, from 44.3 per cent in 2013 to over 70 per cent in 2017.  There were special literacy programmes aimed at young girls, while boarding schools and canteens were being built around the country to relieving the parents and support poor families to send their girls to school.

More on the quality of education, the demographic transition and the quality of the teaching presented the biggest issues: nine out of ten children did not meet the minimum expected level, according to the research by the Programme for the Analysis of Education Systems.  The low quality of teaching was the consequence of the shortage of funds in the previous years and the cuts in teachers’ salary; many qualified teachers retired and the gap was filled with high school leavers in order to respond to the pressure of great number of children entering primary school every year.  The tests of teachers’ knowledge were appalling and all those unable to meet the basic standard were let go which was another factor that explained the reduced number of teachers working today.

The Roadmap had been established to improve the quality of teaching.  Mother tongues were being included in school curricula, with primary school starters being first educated in their native language, and starting to learn French at the age of eight year.

Niger had been one of the pioneers in the realization that there was no education without quality.  The present federal authorities never tried to escape from the situation in the education field, and were taking active measures to address the situation, which in fifteen to twenty years would drastically better the situation.  The number of boys and girls attending schools their number was rather similar with the number of girls being increased every year.

Religious education in the traditional public schools was dispensed by state-trained teachers; informal school, the so-called Koranic schools, children were taught by marabous.  There was an ambitious project related to Koranic schools supported by Turkey that would enable both better learning conditions and control in the future.

Girls who fell pregnant rarely returned to school – they were not expelled but it was a decision made by the family.  Measures were being put in place to encourage pregnant girls to continue their education.

The main reason behind teachers’ refusal to move to rural areas was the poor living conditions, and that many were married and did not want to leave the family behind.  Incentives were being offered to teachers including salary increase.  The most important barrier to school enrolment in poor areas was lack of school infrastructure, and distance to school, which called for measures to ease access of children to schools.

An institutional body had been created to promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream education; sixty-six percent of children with disability attended schools and Niger was fully committed to inclusive education.  The children with disabilities attend both special and traditional schools.  However, the number of special schools was insufficient and the actions would be taken to improve that in the future.

With regards to indigenous peoples, there were no groups in Niger which fit the criteria to qualify them as indigenous peoples.  Niger recognized minorities, who, because of the majority rule that governed the country, were fully represented in the National Assembly.  The President of the Republic for example was a Touraeg, said a delegate.  The delegation warned that the confusion between indigenous peoples and minority groups must be avoided.

Explaining how Niger undertook human rights education and training, the delegation said that such a programme was being launched in secondary schools in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme; currently, training of trainers was taking place.  Law enforcement and judicial officials were trained in human rights through the standard training structures and continuous education programmes.

In principle, access to the Internet was free, but it required greater coverage with information and communication technology, including the use of mobile phones which in 2015 stood at 56 per cent.  Mobile operators had not invested enough in Niger, partly due to high taxes, so the Government was taking steps to address it for example by abolishing incoming call taxes.  A programme Niger 2.0 was being put in place to expand information and communication technology to remote villages and create the so-called “Smart Villages”, which would see each of those villages having a booth where people could access the Internet.

As for the greater participation of persons with disabilities in sports, the delegation said that, in the context of the National Sustainable Development Plan 2017-2021, it aimed to improve access to sporting facilities for all, including persons with disabilities.  Also, there were sporting activities organized for persons with disabilities on a daily basis.

A delegate said that there were ten languages in Niger which were listed in the Constitution and all enjoyed equal status.

Closing Remarks

LAURA-MARIA CRÃCIUNEAN-TATU, Committee Expert and the Rapporteur for Niger, in her concluding remarks, thanked the delegation for the very comprehensive and sincere answers, particularly in relation to questions raised on education, and urged Niger to approach Committee’s concluding observation in a cooperative and open spirit.

IRO SANI, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Niger, said that the presence of a representative of the National Assembly in this meeting was not an accident but an evidence of the commitment of Niger to economic, social and cultural rights of its people.  The National Assembly had heard from the dialogue with the Committee that it needed to address a number of legislative issues, and in particular fill the gaps in the legal framework.  Mr. Sani assured the Committee of the commitment of the National Assembly to act.  Niger had the political will to bring about the reform to raise the well-being of the population, said Mr. Sani who noted the limitations imposed of Niger by the availability of resources.  
 
BEN OMAR MOHAMED, Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Protection of Niger, in his concluding remarks said he was amazed by the quality of the discussions in which the voice of Niger had been heard and its progress had been recognized.  Niger would expeditiously address all the issues the Committee had raised.

MARIA VIRGINIA BRAS GOMES, Committee Chairperson, recognized that resources were not infinite and that everyone need to make choices and priorities.  The Chair urged Niger to come and dialogue with the Committee on a regular basis, to keep track of success and identify areas where more or better efforts were needed.
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