A/HRC/23/13 47. Egypt commended steps such as the establishment of human rights departments within ministries, a department to combat trafficking in persons, and shelters for women and the victims of trafficking. It made recommendations. 48. Estonia commended the country for its ratification of the Committee against Torture (CAT) and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. It welcomed measures to promote migrant workers’ rights and combat human trafficking, and urged the Government to continue its efforts to that end. It made recommendations. 49. Ethiopia welcomed the national plan to implement the recommendations from the first cycle. It requested clarification on measures to protect the rights of migrant workers and encouraged the United Arab Emirates to continue its active engagement with the countries of origin. It made a recommendation. 50. Finland was concerned that the United Arab Emirates was not party to many important human rights instruments and requested information regarding the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). It also expressed concern about the country’s reservations to CEDAW. It made recommendations. 51. France commended efforts to strengthen protection of human rights, particularly with regard to migrant workers and women. It congratulated the United Arab Emirates on its ratification of CAT and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It made recommendations. 52. The United Arab Emirates delegation, commenting on questions related to religious tolerance, stated that this was a major success story of the United Arab Emirates as it had successfully married Muslim tradition with the presence of various other religious practices in the country. The United Arab Emirates had also successfully handled situations in which it had been crucial to reconcile national security with an open society and freedom of expression. Regarding women, the delegation said that the United Arab Emirates had one of the most progressive records in the region. 53. Regarding labour issues, the delegation stated that, in 2008, the United Arab Emirates had set up an Office for the protection of wages to ensure that workers were paid in accordance with their contracts. Since 2010, a decision had allowed workers to move to another company after expiration of their contracts, or upon non-respect of their contracts by their employers. Moreover, the Ministry of Interior had taken efforts to ensure that foreign passports could not be withheld except by a legal order, although workers could choose to keep their passports with their employers. The United Arab Emirates had also worked with labour-exporting countries to ensure respect for workers and prevent their exploitation. 54. Regarding accession to international conventions, the representative of the United Arab Emirates stated that the country was considering accession to some conventions. With regard to ICCPR and ICESCR, the United Arab Emirates was in the process of considering whether those Covenants were compatible with national legislation and relevant cultural and religious values. With regard to reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the United Arab Emirates was studying whether it would be possible to withdraw some of them, as recommended by a recent study. Concerning reservations to CEDAW, the United Arab Emirates intended to ensure equality between men and women first before addressing this issue. Regarding the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), the United Arab Emirates reiterated that it had ratified CAT only in 2012 and that it would look into this matter in the near future. With regard to the Rome Statute signed in November 2000, the United Arab Emirates would take the common position of Arab countries concerning its ratification. 8