E/C.12/COL/CO/6 Equality between men and women 25. While the Committee takes note of the measures taken to eliminate gender-based discrimination, it is concerned at the persistence of gender inequality, which affects mainly women living in rural areas, indigenous and Afro-Colombian women, and women victims of the armed conflict. The Committee is also concerned at the failure to guarantee women’s effective participation in the implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace (art. 3). 26. The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Step up its efforts to eliminate the persistent inequality between men and women, including through the adoption of temporary special measures, and to promote full access by women to education, employment, health care, social security and land; (b) Incorporate into public policies the necessary measures to ensure equal access to and enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by women living in rural areas and indigenous and Afro-Colombian women, including measures for the elimination of multiple, intersectional discrimination against women living in rural areas and indigenous and Afro-Colombian women, allocating sufficient resources for implementation; (c) Ensure women’s effective participation in the implementation of the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace. 27. The Committee refers the State party to its general comment No. 16 (2005), on the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights. Right to work 28. The Committee is concerned that despite a number of initiatives, young people, women, persons with disabilities and, in particular, persons living in rural areas continue to be especially affected by unemployment (art. 6). 29. The Committee recommends that the State party continue making efforts to bring down high unemployment rates by, for instance, developing a comprehensive public policy on employment that tackles the main causes of unemployment, includes a plan of action with specific targets and focuses on groups that are disproportionately at risk of unemployment. The Committee recommends that the State party continue to accord priority to quality technical and vocational training programmes that are tailored to the needs of both the labour market and the most underprivileged and marginalized persons and groups. Informal economy 30. The Committee acknowledges the measures being taken by the State party to reduce the number of people working in the informal sector of the economy, but it is concerned that this number is still very high and that such workers are therefore not adequately protected by labour law and do not have access to the social protection system (arts. 6, 7 and 9). 29. The Committee refers the State party to its previous recommendation (see E/C.12/COL/CO/5, para. 11) and urges it to intensify its efforts to progressively reduce the number of workers in the informal economy and bring them into the formal economy. It also urges the State party to adopt the necessary measures to ensure that workers in the informal sector are provided with adequate immediate protection under labour law and access to social protection. Safety and health at work and labour inspections 32. The Committee is concerned at the absence of comprehensive measures to provide adequate protection in the area of occupational health and industrial accidents, chiefly for workers in the informal economy. The Committee is also concerned that despite the efforts GE.17-18290 5