ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS The dispute between the teachers’ union, SINPES, and the government, which began on 27 February continued throughout the year. SINPES called on the government to comply with the memorandum of understanding signed by both parties in November 2021, which provided for, among other things, a monthly salary equivalent to USD 2,000 for a trainee assistant professor, and USD 5,000 for a full professor. They also demanded payment of outstanding salaries owed to them and to school administrators. FORCED EVICTIONS On 27 February, officers from the PNA and the Criminal Investigation Service, with the support of the Viana municipal police, demolished about 300 houses in Zango 3 neighbourhood, section B in Luanda. Hundreds of people were left homeless. Residents who refused to leave their homes or gathered to protest were beaten and arrested. One of them, known only as Adilson, told human rights defenders that he was arrested and kept in a police station for five hours. According to residents, the demolitions were carried out to make way for a shopping complex. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT In the south, the population continued to suffer the impact of severe and prolonged drought. According to UNICEF, 3.8 million people needed humanitarian assistance, 2 million of whom were children; 600,000 people needed health assistance, and 1 million were in need of nutrition assistance. The government failed to provide timely humanitarian relief, and needs were addressed mainly by NGOs or UN agencies like UNICEF and the World Food Programme. 1. “Angola: Police must exercise restraint during nationwide protests”, 9 June 80 ARGENTINA Republic of Argentina Gender-based killings continued unabated in 2023 and impunity persisted. Access to abortion remained inconsistent in many parts of the country, despite its decriminalization. The abusive use of force with a racist bias was widespread within the security forces. Restriction and criminalization of protest prevailed. Measures on climate change fell short of targets required to curb global emissions. BACKGROUND The country remained mired in an economic and social crisis. By June, 40.1% of the population was living in poverty and the unemployment rate was 6.2%. National elections took place in October and November, and the party La Libertad Avanza won with 55.65% of the vote. In December, the president issued a presidential decree of necessity and urgency, repealing or modifying more than 70 laws, and introduced to Congress a bill on Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentinians, declaring a public emergency until 31 December 2025 and establishing regressive changes in healthcare, education, housing, freedom of expression and assembly, and gender, among other areas. During the UPR, Argentina received 287 recommendations, including some relating to access to abortion, the Indigenous emergency land law and persistent institutional violence. The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances recommended the creation of a federal agency to coordinate the search for missing persons. Congress had failed to appoint an ombudsperson since 2009. The Supreme Court, composed only of men, had had a vacancy since 2021. The State of the World’s Human Rights