A/HRC/10/29 447. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies endorsed the pledges to reform the 1980 Law on Publications and all other related laws in the country, calling upon the United Arab Emirates to lift the governmental control over press freedoms and to limit legal restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, including the right to political dissent and the right to receive information. It invited the State to ratify, in a timely manner, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to ensure the enjoyment of citizens to all civil and political rights, and to guarantee their active participation in public affairs. The State should ensure the creation of independent trade unions and political parties; that the restrictions on the establishment and work of all associations, including human rights nongovernmental organizations, should be lifted; and that the rights of Internet bloggers, journalists and human rights defenders to express freely their views on public affairs should be ensured. The Institute was concerned about discrimination against women, the right of children to a nationality without discrimination based on the parent’s gender, and invited the State to amend its laws in this regard. 448. Interfaith International said the large influx of foreign workers and the achievement of certain goals related to economic rights favoured a degree of tolerance among the population, the opening of temples, churches and other places of religious veneration. The United Arab Emirates was one of the rare countries in the region that authorized the construction of cemeteries for Christians and crematoria for Sikh and Hindu minorities. It congratulated the State on the establishment of a standing forum and website for civil society, encouraged it to continue elaborating a programme of compensation, rehabilitation and professional insertion of victims of trafficking, and to create a national strategy promoting a proper economic citizenship for migrant workers and members of their families. 449. Comité international pour le respect et l’application de la Charte africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples said it had been involved in the preparation of the national report of the United Arab Emirates, and provided remarks that had been included. It also provided comments on the recommendations made, and expressed its intention to cooperate in implementing the recommendations accepted by the State, in particular those relating to ensuring good conditions for workers. It would participate in the dialogue on the follow-up to recommendations, especially on foreign workers, victims of trafficking and persons released from prisons. 450. The Indian Council of South America commended the United Arab Emirates for enacting Federal Law 51 in 2006, and for the establishment of a national committee to combat human trafficking. The State’s contribution of $15 million to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking and its sponsoring of trafficking conferences in Vienna and New York were commendable. It called on the State to continue efforts to advance women at all levels of Government, continue to protect foreign workers and provide human rights training in combating terrorism. It considered the State’s commitment to accede to the Convention against Torture and to establishing a national human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles positive steps forward, and urged it to ratify other instruments and to continue to include civil society, journalists, and other sectors in the follow-up to the review process. 451. The African-American Society for Humanitarian Aid and Development emphasized the positive role played at the regional and international levels by the State, which had made constant progress in the achievement of rights, including women’s rights. It noted that the State was at the top of the list of countries providing aid to others in cases of humanitarian disasters, and it paid tribute to the Red Crescent Society and all other associations for the tireless efforts made in this connection. GE.09-17451 157