CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE _____________________________________________________________________ • the Commission to Combat Discrimination against Women (CONALDIS), which is in charge of monitoring the effective implementation of the CEDAW and for submitting a report every four years; • the Department for the Coordination of Women’s Associations (DCAF), which is in charge of coordinating actions to promote the access of women to the means of production, credit and employment; • the Department of Legal Affairs, which is in charge of initiating and implementing information and sensitisation activities regarding respect for, and the exercise of, the basic rights of women and young girls; and • the Department for Advocacy and Empowerment. 330. In addition, 13 regional directorates for the advancement of women have been established, as well as other governmental structures such as the National Commission for the Promotion of Women, which is chaired by the prime minister, and the Information, Training and Research-Action Centre on Women (CITRAF). Focal points in charge of gender issues in different departments and institutions have also been established. 331. In addition to these regional and other structures, many associations and NGOs are active in the area of promoting women. Mention should be made here of the Observatory on the Condition of Women Attached to the University (which is a coalition comprising nearly 20 associations working in a network), and of specialised associations such as the Association of Elected Women of Burkina (AFEB) and the Association of Women Jurists of Burkina (AFJ/BF). 332. At the legal level. The CRM wishes to stress the existence of a favourable legal environment for women. The code on individuals and the family, which came into force in 1990, constitutes the basic national framework that defines and protects the rights of women. National legislation also comprises provisions regarding these rights. It comprises, first of all, constitutional provisions relating to public liberties; to the equality of all citizens before the law; and to political, economic and socio-cultural rights. 333. The 1991 constitution stipulates, in Article 12, that all Burkinabe without distinction have the right to participate in the management of the affairs of the state and society and that, in that regard, they are voters and are eligible under the conditions provided for by the law. Law 41/96ADP of May 1996 on agricultural and land reorganisation also enshrines equality between men and women in terms of access to land. Moreover, the CRM notes that the laws on decentralisation give women the opportunity to stand for election in decisionmaking spheres and to elect their local and other representatives. 334. Besides its national texts acknowledging and defending the rights of women, Burkina Faso has ratified basic regional and international texts relating to the rights of women, most notably the UN Charter and the African Charter on 145