E/C.12/MNG/CO/4 The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to ensure effective enforcement of the Law on Combating Domestic Violence. It should prosecute offenders and guarantee effective protection of and assistance to victims, including by providing a sufficient number of shelters in rural and remote areas and supporting the efforts of civil society. The Committee calls on the State party to conduct educational and training programmes for judicial authorities, law enforcement officials and social workers on the Law and on women’s rights. Poverty 22. The Committee is concerned that despite strong economic growth, the rate of poverty has increased in recent years in the State party, especially among women, children, persons with disabilities and herders living in remote areas. The Committee is also concerned about the ineffectiveness of measures to address poverty, notably due to the fragmentation of programmes and a lack of coordination at the governmental level (arts. 2 and 11). Recalling its statement on poverty and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/2001/10), the Committee urges the State party to: (a) Adopt measures to take advantage of economic growth to reduce poverty, for example by ensuring that the mining industry’s revenues are enjoyed by all Mongolians; (b) Adopt a national poverty-reduction strategy that is based on human rights norms, is integrated in provincial and local development plans and is supported by implementation mechanisms with time-bound benchmarks and monitoring tools; (c) Identify a lead ministry that is responsible for implementing the povertyreduction strategy and for establishing and enforcing appropriate monitoring and accountability mechanisms. Access to adequate housing 23. The Committee is concerned about the shortage of housing units in the State party, especially in urban areas, and about the emergence, as a result of increased internal migration, of informal settlements around urban areas that are characterized by poor living conditions and scarce access to basic services. The Committee is also concerned about the negative impact of the Ger area redevelopment regulation on persons whose land is subject to redevelopment, for example in the form of forced evictions, especially on those who do not have a legal title to their land, do not receive adequate compensation and are not provided with alternative accommodation in areas with basic social services (art. 11). Recalling its general comments No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing and No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions, the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Redouble its efforts to increase housing units for the population, including social housing for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, particularly in urban areas, with a view to decreasing the number of persons living in informal settlements; In the interim, take effective measures to improve the living conditions in these areas by, among other things, enhancing access to basic services, including water, sanitation, education and health care;(b) (c) Amend the Ger area redevelopment regulation as necessary with a view to ensuring that it does not adversely impact the Ger population’s right to adequate housing, including with regard to security of tenure and protection from forced 7

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