UN General Assembly
2013

of 5-year-olds entering the pre-school system. It is roughly triple what we expected. Our Government has been deeply committed to reforming the national education system. The new legal framework requires a broad participatory process involving parents, communities and teachers. The proposal that President Lobo made here in the General Assembly last year, when he said that classrooms must never be closed (see A/67/PV.6, p. 49), has led to a considerable increase in the number of school days for children in Honduras. That has resulted in an improvement in the quality of education, and as a nation we are very optimistic about it. As to gender equality and the empowerment of women, we have made progress in implementing a gender equality system, created with a view to promoting, encouraging and institutionalizing gender- equity policies and improving equality of opportunity between men and women. With regard to the reduction of under-five mortality and improving maternal health, our Government approved a public policy for the holistic development of infants and a comprehensive care strategy for children in the community. The strategy