A/HRC/31/8 126. The delegation of Rwanda stated, with regard to civil and political rights, that the legal framework and policy practices were informed by its context and aspirations as a nation. The Government, in its national agenda regarding building and development, had moved away from confrontational politics towards a politics of consensus. The aspirations of the Government were to maximize respect for the rights and freedoms of the people. There had been tremendous reforms in the media sector, and an expansion of the rights to freedom of association and assembly. 127. The delegation of Rwanda thanked all delegations that had participated in the review. The delegation appreciated that there was always room for improvement and noted that it was the intention of Rwanda to continue working with partners to improve. The modest social and the economic growth Rwanda had achieved after the 1994 genocide would only have been possible in an environment where civil and economic rights were being promoted and defended. Rwanda had been ranked as one of the safest countries in the world, and the Rwandan people had been ranked as some of the happiest in the world. Economic and environmental rights had been strictly observed. The cities were some of the cleanest in the world. 128. The Government would continue to be open to engaging with human rights rapporteurs. Also, the Government would be open to engaging on the subject of freedom of assembly. In that context, the delegation recalled the role of the media in the 1994 genocide and stated that, while the Government continued to expand media rights, it remained cautious of a line that could easily be crossed. 129. The law on genocide ideology, which had been perceived as preventing free expression, had been amended. The law was a necessary safeguard to ensure that history did not repeat itself. 130. Defining indigenous people as a distinct category of people had led to problems in the past, and Rwanda had chosen the path of not making such distinctions among Rwandans. 131. With regard to the upcoming elections in 2017, the delegation stated that in Rwanda elections were conducted peacefully, openly and freely. Rwanda would be happy to host some delegations as monitors. 132. Rwanda took all recommendations seriously and would respond to each of them. II. Conclusions and/or recommendations 133. The recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue and listed below have been examined by Rwanda and enjoy the support of Rwanda: 133.1 Continue strengthening its legislation to eliminate all provisions that undermine freedom of expression (Chile); 133.2 Strengthen the National Human Rights Commission of Rwanda by granting it the power to consider human rights complaints (Slovenia); 133.3 Strengthen the capacity of the office of the Ombudsman (Haiti); 133.4 Consider formulating a National Human Rights Action Plan (Indonesia); ** The conclusions and recommendations have not been edited. 13