A/HRC/15/3 7. The delegation stated that there was no human rights institution in Kiribati. If there were one, additional financial and specialized human resources would be required for its services. Kiribati would need capacity-building to sustain such an institution. Public awareness of the importance and relevance of its functions was essential to justify the establishment of such an institution. Therefore, the existence and the use of resources allocated to human rights institutions would be highly dependent on the international community. Kiribati would thus encourage the international community to look into providing technical and financial assistance that would enable it to establish one in the future. 8. The delegation further noted that a human rights commission within the region would be a step in the right direction. In addition, the services of such a regional commission would be fully utilized by a group of island Governments, particularly the smaller island States that could not afford to finance one on their own. Accordingly, Kiribati was supportive of the proposal of the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat, which was currently looking into the merits of establishing a regional human rights mechanism. 9. The delegation stated that Kiribati did not see any harm in ratifying the core human rights conventions. The delegation, however, noted that the resource requirements for reporting and implementation purposes with regard to many of these international conventions were quite substantial, especially for least developed countries. It further noted that, although not all conventions would be applicable to Kiribati, if the international community could ensure that such resources were available, Kiribati should take the necessary steps towards the ratification of existing and appropriate international conventions. These would include the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 10. The delegation stated that the Government of Kiribati recognized the need to amend the Constitution to improve the provisions regarding discrimination on the basis of sex, gender and disability. However, the procedure for amending the Constitution required the approval of a two-thirds majority of the entire voting population through a referendum and a two-thirds-majority vote in Parliament. The Government had faced such a challenge in 1998 when it held a national consultation to review the Constitution. At the time, participants from throughout the nation did not support the initiative to amend the provisions of the Constitution relating to fundamental rights. Later, in 2004, the Government could not achieve two-thirds-majority support among members of parliament for amending the provision on citizenship. In addition to the procedural requirements for amending the Bill of Rights, the Government requires further financial support in order to conduct a referendum and advocate support for the amendment initiative. Therefore, the Government recognized that, until amendments could be made to the Constitution, all other laws that were discriminatory in nature and effect would continue to be applied. 11. The delegation noted that violence against women was pervasive in Kiribati. It noted a recent report on a Kiribati family health study conducted in 2008, which found that 68 per cent of women in Kiribati had experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by their intimate partners. The delegation stated that the Government was very committed to working with regional bodies to propose solutions to the problem, including: training counsellors to assist victims in recovering physically and psychologically; the financing of awareness-raising programmes such as White Ribbon Days, “safe-nets” and a crisis centre; an intervention programme to combat domestic violence in all islands of Kiribati; supporting police initiatives by working with communities and creating a domestic violence and sexual offence unit within the police; and embarking on a legislative review. 12. The delegation further stated that, through the various committees existing within Government ministries, both the Government and non-governmental organizations were 4