A/HRC/11/37 295. The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs raised concerns about the situation of indigenous peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It noted that the Government of Bangladesh had expressed its sincere intention to implement fully the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace accord. It referred to recommendation 34 and the particular importance of resolving the land disputes with effectiveness and justice by amending the Land Dispute Commission Act of 2001 and by having the land disputes resolution commission resume its work and by initiating a viable process of voluntary relocation of government-sponsored Bengali settlers from the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It was also important to expedite the withdrawal of hundreds of temporary military camps, and to facilitate normal civil administration by transferring all the agreed subjects and functions to the Hill District Councils with immediate effect, taking all the necessary steps to ensure the full functioning of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council. 296. The International Human Rights Association of American Minorities noted that the 2008 elections were promising and the establishment of the human rights commission offered some hope. It considered that the continuation and expansion of poverty alleviation programmes would allow more people to be lifted out of poverty. Despite progress made in the field of human rights, the Association noted that corruption was still commonplace, that torture, extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths were still being reported, and that equality between men and women had not yet been fully realized. It encouraged Bangladesh to ratify the treaties, as recommended in the review report. It spoke of the need to bring to a halt custodial deaths and torture of people in custody and to take further steps towards ending all forms of violence against women and eradicating child labour. 4. Concluding remarks of the State under review 297. Bangladesh thanked all participants and conveyed particular thanks to those who had expressed their support and solidarity following the recent cyclone that had devastated a part of its country. 298. Bangladesh believed that, although the universal periodic review was primarily an intergovernmental process, civil society had an important role to play. As Bangladesh consulted national non-governmental organizations during its preparatory process, it would have been happy to hear more voices of national organizations on the outcome of the review, and expressed the hope that the Council would try to facilitate participation of mainstream national non-governmental organizations in deliberations on country human rights situations. Bangladesh stated that it was committed to continue involving its civil society and working with them. 299. Bangladesh was a small country, with a vast population, resource-starved and disaster-prone, for which reasons fully guaranteeing human rights protection was a daunting challenge, so expectations had to be realistic. Although there might be some instances of human rights violations, there was an adequate and effective institutional framework to deal with them. However, Bangladesh would continue to strive for further improvements. 300. Careful note had been taken of all observations, suggestions and comments made, and they would be referred faithfully back to the Government, which would give them due consideration and take practical measures within the parameters of the Constitution and in line with the expectations of its people. 301. Bangladesh viewed the universal periodic review as a continuous process to improve the human rights situation. The second part of the process was starting with the implementation of accepted recommendations. 104 GE.09-16766