A/HRC/57/10 with disabilities, ensure that health services met their needs and enable effective responses during disasters. A new Council of Ministers paper was aimed at initiating rounds of consultation for the Vanuatu Disability and Inclusion Act. The 2022 national census had included the Washington Group short set of questions on functioning, thereby accommodating, for the first time, the collection of statistics on persons with disabilities. 18. The Government had undertaken efforts, through the establishment of provincial offices, to address issues in communities by ensuring that services reached the most remote areas. 19. In 2021, Vanuatu had established the Mental Health Unit under the Ministry of Health. The Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan was aimed at enhancing access to sexual and reproductive health services. With cervical cancer ranking as the second most frequent cancer among women aged 15 to 44, in 2022, the Ministry of Health had introduced the human papillomavirus vaccination for girls aged 9 to 13, with a view to roll-out in all provinces by the end of 2024. 20. In the education sector, in 2022, the Government had introduced the family life education curriculum for in-school education, with ongoing consultations on out-of-school family life education. Since 2021, the Government had subsidized school fees through grants to all schools for early childhood, primary and secondary education in both government and government-assisted schools. In 2023, the grant had been expanded to cover tuition for junior and senior secondary schools. At least 113 teachers had been trained on inclusive education and assigned to schools where children with disabilities had been identified. 21. The Government had established the Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics in 2021. In 2020, a national census had been conducted covering crucial information on persons with disabilities, gender equality and social inclusion in productive sectors, sociocultural dimensions, environmental aspects and food security. The National Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Policy provided for all citizens to have birth certificates and national identification cards, with the latter serving as voter identification. 22. In recognition of the profound impact that climate change had on development in Vanuatu, a standalone Ministry of Climate Change had been established. The Disaster Risk Management Act had instituted the National Disaster Management Office and introduced clusters in response to disasters, including on gender, children, housing, water, sanitation and hygiene, disability, infrastructure and food. The Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Policy was focused on climate change response, with attention to vulnerable groups such as women, children and persons with disabilities. The policy mandated the establishment of disaster response committees, the membership of which included women, at the national, provincial and community levels. 23. Between 2020 and 2022, the Government had constructed new correctional facilities to tackle overcrowding and improve sanitation. That included the establishment of a new female correctional facility, a juvenile centre and another correctional facility, all of which had been built to adhere to international standards. 24. The Government had increased police recruitment, aiming to ensure a police presence across all six provinces. The community policing concept had been introduced, piloted in Port Vila, to provide security by ensuring that community members were trained by the police to work in communities as police representatives. The Government had established the Professional Standards Unit to investigate all reported cases of police brutality and misconduct. Police officers who committed unlawful acts were subject to criminal or disciplinary charges. The Police Act was under review with the intention of accommodating human rights components and establishing mechanisms to address police actions in a more accountable manner. 25. Vanuatu acknowledged the challenges inherent to small island developing States and was dedicated to addressing them in tandem with its development endeavours. Development efforts must be aligned with its ability to mitigate its unique vulnerabilities as a country with one of the highest frequencies of natural disasters, which also contributed to financial vulnerabilities. Vanuatu looked forward to working closely with all its bilateral and multilateral partners to advance its collective aspirations as a nation. 4 GE.24-09741