A/HRC/10/29 (c) General comments made by other relevant stakeholders 442. The Geneva Infant Feeding Association stated that the United Arab Emirates had not yet adopted a national law on the marketing of breast-milk substitutes. Adopting a strong national law was necessary, as the State was a lucrative market for the baby food industry. It acknowledged improvements in maternity protection at work, but paid leave was only for eight weeks; the United Arab Emirates should ensure foreign workers were granted the same length, also harmonizing legislation throughout the Emirates. The Association recommended that all maternity hospitals, public and private, be certified baby-friendly as a condition for being allowed to function. It reminded the State that its report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child had been due since 2004, and that it had not yet ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 443. Action internationale pour la paix et le développement dans la région des Grands Lacs noted the positive response to numerous recommendations made, and welcomed the country’s efforts in trafficking and related crimes. Significant progress had been made by the United Arab Emirates in combating violence against women, the protection of workers’ rights and freedom of religion. Its determination to promote the full enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights was demonstrated by the civil society and Emirati associations, such as the Emirati Red Crescent and the Muhammad bin Rashed AlMaktoum Foundation, particularly in the area of education and health for children in several African countries. It invited the international community to support the State in ratifying the Palermo Protocol. 444. The World Federation of Trade Unions thanked the Government for the efforts made to improve the rights of workers, as well as the measures taken to protect migrant and domestic workers. It welcomed the fact that, among the many recommendations adopted by the Government, there was a commitment to continue strengthening its labour law, improve the working conditions and the lives of workers, and in particular migrant and domestic workers, including a mechanism to deal with reports and complaints on discriminatory treatment. It requested that the Government examine the recommendations made to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and to reconsider its decision not to accept the recommendations regarding the unionizing of workers, collective bargaining and the right to strike, as well as to consider ratifying ILO Conventions 87 and 98. 445. The Arab Commission for Human Rights welcomed the fact that the United Arab Emirates was looking into setting up an independent human rights commission pursuant to the Paris Principles, but asked for more information with regard to the time frame envisaged, as well as the level of participation of civil society in that process. It also welcomed the cancellation of jail sentences on press crimes, and recommended that this be extended to electronic media. Regarding political participation, it recommended the adoption of recommendation 78 of the report. It recommended the reform of the justice system to ensure its independence and welcomed the adoption of a mechanism to follow up on review recommendations. It also recommended that the United Arab Emirates support OHCHR financially. 446. The Hawa Society for Women said it had been involved in all preparations of the review process, having submitted remarks and comments. It noted the question of the establishment of refuge centres to victims of trafficking, protection of women’s rights, the promulgation of a national law to protect children and the creation of the institutional mechanism to provide attention to domestic workers victims of violence. It suggested using all available resources to develop a culture of respect, including the Internet, and to set up a user-friendly reliable database. 156 GE.09-17451