A/HRC/43/2 465. Iraq thanked the Gambia for its active involvement in the universal periodic review process. It stated that the support by the Gambia for the recommendation made by Iraq reflected the resolve of the Government to promote human rights. 466. Libya thanked the Gambia for its effective participation in the universal periodic review process. It commended the Gambia for its commitment to respecting its human rights obligations and for upholding fundamental freedoms, which was evident from the efforts made in areas of democracy and the rule of law, despite the many challenges faced. 467. Malawi welcomed the continued engagement of the Gambia with the universal periodic review process. Malawi noted that the Gambia had supported 207 of the 222 recommendations that had been made and appreciated the constructive and open engagement by the Gambia during the review. It applauded the Gambia for its commitment to install a new and resilient architecture to uphold the highest standards of human rights, justice and rule of law, and for prioritizing the national development plan for 2018 to 2021. 468. Mauritania appreciated the efforts of the Gambia to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards. The cooperation of the Gambia with the United Nations and the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council was a reflection of the commitment of the country to international human rights standards and fundamental freedoms. 469. Morocco noted the adoption of several pieces of legislation to implement the recommendations from the previous universal periodic review. It also noted the efforts to strengthen the legislative framework to promote the appointment of women to decisionmaking positions. Morocco welcomed the implementation of the Government’s policy on the empowerment of women in the political, economic and social spheres. 470. Djibouti congratulated the Gambia for the constructive dialogue held and for supporting a large number of recommendations received during the third cycle of the universal periodic review, including the two recommendations made by Djibouti. 3. General comments made by other stakeholders 471. During the adoption of the outcome of the review of the Gambia, four other stakeholders made statements. 472. Conscience and Peace Tax International complimented the Gambia for abolishing the death penalty and for bringing an application before the International Court of Justice on the alleged violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It encouraged the Gambia to allocate resources to address peaceful settlement of disputes, particularly when the Truth Commission has completed its work. It encouraged the Gambia to revise article 37 of the draft constitution, which reportedly ‘permits to kill’ in cases of riot, escape or arrest, recalling that the use of force could only be legitimate if proportionate, non-violent and non-maiming. 473. Action Canada for Population and Development stated that the situation of members of the LGBTI communities remained dire. It expressed disappointment that, despite the Government’s commitment to repeal laws that criminalize HIV transmission and consensual same-sex conduct and to halt the prosecution of same sex couples for consensual sexual acts, the Gambia continued to only note recommendations addressing discrimination and violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. 474. United Nations Watch urged the United Nations to call on the Gambia to end genderbased violence. The Gambia should also end female genital mutilation and child marriage. The United Nations Watch highlighted statistics from UNICEF, according to which more than 75 per cent of women aged between 15 to 49 years had been subjected to female genital mutilation, and 30 per cent of women aged between 20 to 24 years were first married or in a 78