Geneva, ANGOLA, November 8 - Angola's Foreign Affairs minister said the promotion and protection of Human Rights remain a permanent challenge for government, stressing the significant improvements in this field, specially, since the beginning of the new political cycle in 2017, under the President João Lourenço.,

The new political era provides assurances that human rights in Angola have taken on another dimension and attention, said Manuel Augusto on Thursday.

The minister, who was presenting a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Report of Angola at the Human Rights Council Meeting, underway since November 4 in Geneva, Switzerland, attributed the improvement to the achievement of peace and development.

However, he went on, there is a new impetus in the area, highlighting the various meetings with representatives of the most representative organisations of civil society.  

 The report presented by Angola responds to the 226 recommendations of 2015-2019 second cycle.

The minister said that the report reflects the result of the public policies defined in the National Development Plan for 2013-2017, and the National Development Plan 2018-2022, as well as containing information on the performance of the Executive in various fields.

Manuel Augusto also pointed to the most representative indicators of progress made in the ​​human rights.

He highlighted the Human Development Index, which went from 0.532 in 2015 to 0.581 in 2018, reflecting an important increase.

Angola is currently placed by the United Nations in Medium Development Index, the highest increase in sub-Saharan Africa, he said, stressing the increase in life expectancy, from about 44 years in 2000 to 60 years in 2014 and 61 years in 2018.

The official explained that the legal framework for the promotion and protection of human rights has also seen a considerable evolution in the peace period in Angola, with stress to recent approval of the new Angolan Penal Code, with innovative measures.