A/HRC/15/3 had yet to be given to vulnerable groups such as children and people living with disabilities, since those individuals were being looked after by their parents and relatives. However, public awareness programmes regarding climate change had been delivered to all citizens through the mass media, village dramas and presentations for the general population and organized youth groups. 20. The delegation stated that tangible outcomes of climate change adaptation programmes had been slow to come about in Kiribati, owing primarily to limited resources. Dependence on external assistance, especially from developed countries, had been the norm at the national level. In recent decades, only enabling activities had been carried out by donor communities for studies, assessments and additional consultations. Only in the past three years had Kiribati been given more than $1 million by multilateral mechanisms of the Global Environment Facility, which had financed pilot projects related to water and coastal protection at selected sites. But those sites did not even cover whole islands. Furthermore, as a result of the country’s limited human resources, the bulk of the funds had been spent on costly technical assistance from abroad. 21. The delegation further stated that the involvement of vulnerable groups in the adaptation projects had been limited. Vulnerable groups shared the benefits of adaptation projects equally with the general public, through water, road and coastal infrastructure. The costs of implementing specialized programmes for vulnerable groups were excessively high. It emphasized once again that, once additional resources had been made available to Kiribati, the Government would be in a better position to design specific programmes targeted at vulnerable groups. For the time being, the Government was prioritizing its proposals in order to respond appropriately to climate change. The Government had already begun with the protection of public and community assets, which required urgent and immediate intervention. In the long term, Kiribati would continue to face adverse the effects of climate change owing to losses and damage caused by both extreme and slowonset events. However, in the short to medium term, Kiribati would continue to move forward with adaptation strategies and programmes. 22. The delegation concluded that Kiribati would fully honour its responsibilities in safeguarding the rights of its citizens and non-citizens alike. However, the Government was also acutely aware of inherent limitations, in particular in its efforts to strengthen the capacities of individuals, professions and institutions. Kiribati therefore appreciates and will seriously consider all recommendations of the Human Rights Council. The level of its success will depend to a large extent on the availability of technical and financial assistance from all its development partners, including the United Nations and its specialized agencies. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 23. During the interactive dialogue, 28 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue are found in section II of the present report. 24. A number of delegations expressed appreciation for the efforts made by Kiribati to participate in the review, given the travelling distance and the logistical difficulties. Some delegations thanked Kiribati for the quality and the presentation of the national report, as well as for the open and inclusive process of its preparation. Some delegations were pleased by the consultation of civil society stakeholders in the production of the national report. Some delegations also expressed appreciation for Kiribati’s open acknowledgement of its specific human rights challenges. Kiribati was also commended for having ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and for its efforts to bring its 6