A/HRC/24/22 24. Certain human rights are jus cogens as expressed by international consensus and reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Traditional values should be acknowledged, but understood within the universal framework of human rights which cannot be circumvented. Differentiating human rights from traditional values, Spain stated that the latter applied at the community level, and the task of giving continuity to traditional values should fall upon such institutions as the family or the community. States had the obligation to respect and promote human rights and eliminate all obstacles to their effective and adequate promotion, which might, if necessary, include denial of traditional values that oppose human rights. 25. In Sri Lanka, several indigenous medical systems based on cultural expressions of traditional values and knowledge were practised by the local medical community across all ethnic groups. The rights of that community were protected and the traditional values they held well respected. 26. The Syrian Arab Republic stated that traditions and customs therein were based on the principles of and respect for human rights such as the right to life, justice, liberty, equality, education and dignity. By way of best practices, the contribution referred to respect towards and care of older persons and neighbours. Poor people and orphans were financially supported. Children were given good care and kindness. During the crisis, the country experienced solidarity among Syrian families, based on traditions and customs. Displaced families from all regions were received and hosted in the homes of relatives and neighbours. B. National human rights institutions 27. The Ombudsman’s Office of Colombia was of the view that the notion of traditional values and human rights was, amongst others, linked to cultural values, traditional customs, universal values and normative values and was therefore a complex issue. There was no agreed definition of the term “traditional values of humankind” which was somewhat vague, subjective and unclear. Traditional values had both positive and negative effects. The latter could include forced marriages, domestic violence and rape, and female genital mutilation. Traditional values could be invoked to justify the status quo and undermine the rights of the most marginalized and disadvantaged groups. However, traditional values were not static and their validity could be discovered by each generation. 28. The National Human Rights Institution of Georgia pointed out that Georgia had adopted a law on eradicating violence in the family, protecting and assisting victims of violence. However, traditional attitudes deeply rooted in the cultural context of stereotyped roles for women were of concern. These contributed to physical and psychological forms of coercion impairing the equal participation of women in family life. Many cases were not reported so as to uphold family honour and due to fear of segregation in the family and community. 29. Reference was made to the crucial role of human rights education in the promotion and protection of women’s rights. To that end, educational activities had been launched, involving different stakeholders like the Social Service Agency, the Council on Ethnic and Religious Minorities and religious communities. They included gender-sensitive training, the concept of “participatory action” and an action plan with activities to raise awareness on women’s rights and eradicate domestic violence. These programmes have led to a reduction of stereotyped attitudes toward women. 30. According to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, by considering proposals in the drafting process, draft laws could be influenced and altered. 7