A/HRC/28/6 must be observed before the death penalty could be applied. Those rights are applicable in addition to the particular right to seek pardon. 24. The delegation stated that the issue of elections had caused some controversial decisions to be made by international organizations, usually on the basis of boycotts by political parties. It noted, however, that all Gambians eligible to vote had access to registration centres, and that campaign periods regulated by the Independent Electoral Commission gave each party equal airtime on national television. 25. Regarding the reduction of poverty, the delegation noted that the Government had formulated a number of policies and strategies, such as Vision 2020, the development strategy and investment programme for 2012–2015, called the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE), which is the successor to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme II (PSRP II). A recent programme for food self-sufficiency, called Vision 2016 has been launched; it seeks to encourage farmers to move from small- to larger-scale farming and to produce the necessary volume for consumption by the population. The delegation explained that the main objective of PAGE was to accelerate growth and employment, and thereby reduce poverty and improve the well-being of the population. In terms of food security and agriculture, the delegation noted that the Government’s priority was to transform the country into a major supplier of agricultural products to the local and international markets. 26. On treaty obligations, the delegation stated that the Gambia had made strides in fulfilling its treaty reporting obligations since the last reporting period. In 2012, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had organized a workshop to train government officials on treaty reporting to the United Nations and, in 2013, a National Treaty Reporting Task Force was established. The delegation added that the Gambia had submitted a number of reports, including the initial report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2011. 27. The delegation mentioned that in a bid to implement the recommendations of the first cycle of the UPR, the Gambia had constituted a multisectorial National Task Force composed of various government ministries and agencies as well as members of civil society organizations in order to formulate a National Action Plan for the implementation of the recommendations. 28. On United Nations special procedures, the delegation noted that the Gambia had no objection to any visits by Special Rapporteurs of the Human Rights Council. It added that, in fact, some Special Rapporteurs were preparing to visit the country during the first week of November 2014. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 29. During the interactive dialogue, 62 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue can be found in section II of the present report. 30. India encouraged cooperation with, inter alia, the United Nations to strengthen national laws, and hoped for an early enactment of the Judicial Officers Bill 2014. India expressed appreciation for the emphasis on women empowerment and the measures taken to address gender-based violence. 31. Indonesia noted with appreciation that the Gambia has met the Millennium Development Goals on free primary school enrolment, and the adoption of the Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Offences Act. It also welcomed the steps being taken to establish a national human rights institution based on the Paris Principles. 6