A/HRC/12/14 Page 4 the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. To protect and uphold the rights of its workers, Vanuatu has also ratified a number of International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. 8. To compile its national report, the Government appointed a committee composed of representatives from different Government departments, who consulted the relevant departments on human rights issues. Ms. Lesines said that Vanuatu was a small nation where the Government interacts very often with non-governmental organizations. The Minister of Justice has appointed a Vanuatu Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, comprised of Government officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations, to oversee the implementation of the concluding comments of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. With regard to the universal period review report, two Government officials were part of the committee that prepared the non-governmental organizations’ submission. Vanuatu’s attendance and participation in the present review reaffirmed its commitment to human rights. 9. Vanuatu’s economy and the livelihood of its people are shaped by climate changesensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry. Vanuatu is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and took an active part in the initial negotiations on the development of the Convention through its affiliation with the Alliance of Small Island States and Small Island Developing Countries. Ms. Lesines said that climate change has undeniable impacts on human rights. Sea-level rise has already caused some villages and infrastructure to be relocated. Vanuatu needs financial and technical support to upgrade infrastructure and adapt to climate change. Constant heavy rainfalls have caused flooding in some areas, triggering diseases such as flu, malaria and vector bone diseases. 10. Vanuatu is at the boundary of the Indo-Australian plate that is slipping under the Pacific plate. As part of the Pacific ring of fire, its islands are under threat of major volcanic eruptions, which cause schools to close down, air and water to be contaminated due to the ash falls, crops to be destroyed and health of the people to be put at risk. The most vulnerable people in those circumstances are women and children. 11. Ms. Lesines said volcanic activities have caused all catchment water sources such as water tanks and fibreglass and concrete wells in every community and school in the western and northern part of Ambrym to be highly contaminated with acid rain. Acid rain water has been absorbed into root crops as well as fruits, making them unsafe for human consumption. Acid rain causes acid infection in children’s and old people’s stomachs, which can lead to stomach pain and respiratory infections such as asthma. 12. The Department of Meteorological Services, the National Disaster Management Office and the Geo-Hazards Section are working hard to address these threats. Vanuatu urgently needs scientific studies to identify future climate change threats and natural disasters to address them in a timely manner. 13. In relation to the rights of prisoners and detention conditions, Vanuatu, with the assistance of New Zealand, has renovated detention centres to meet international standards. The Department of Correctional Services is also providing relevant rehabilitation programmes to assist prisoners.