CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE _____________________________________________________________________ beyond those listed in the table contained in the CSAR and cover a wider range of topics. The mission nevertheless deplores the fact that there is no single operational frame of reference that contains all the instruments of which Burkina Faso is a part and which can be made available as and when required. 137. The mission notes that, to date, there has been some delay in the submission, by Burkina Faso, of its reports to competent bodies of the UN responsible for overseeing treaties. Thus, since 1997, the country has not submitted a report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Since 2000, a similar situation has pertained in the case of the submission of reports to the Committee on Human Rights; the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and the Committee against Torture. Similarly, with regard to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on the Rights of Children, reports have not been submitted for the years 2004 and 2007 respectively. The mission was nevertheless pleased to learn that there were renewed efforts to overcome these deficiencies, with four reports being in different stages of preparation. As regards ratification, the state had initiated the technical process of preparing documents for the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. As for the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, the ratification thereof seems to be a major challenge for the authorities in Burkina Faso, which have not yet registered it on their work plan. 138. The mission noted with satisfaction that, aware of its obligations stemming from international instruments of which it is a signatory, the Burkinabe state had – in addition to the roles traditionally assigned to the various constitutive bodies of state by the constitution for the implementation of the instruments ratified – initiated a number of actions, including the adoption of a policy and plan of action directed at the promotion of human rights, the establishment of the CNDH, and the creation of a Ministry for the Promotion of Human Rights. 139. Despite these initiatives, in Burkina Faso, holders of the rights contained in the relevant international instruments in reality have very little knowledge of such rights, or are even able to truly enjoy the benefits of the rights. This can be partly explained by the fact that, in the absence of effective domestication based on the real empowerment of stakeholders, such instruments are confined to playing only a remote, symbolic and ideal role, rather than serving as legal reference texts that are currently cited and used and which have authority in the country. While the lack of human, technical and financial resources that characterises the situation in the country remains a major cause of concern, it is also important to note that there is an unwillingness to put in place the mechanisms – texts, sensitisation structures, information and training – required for the implementation and enjoyment of the rights contained in the ratified instruments. 85