A/HRC/17/12 the Prison Farm on the neighbouring island of Nevis. In addition, approximately ten acres of land had already been allocated for the construction of a new facility; the Government was awaiting funding from the European Commission to begin construction, which would be completed in phases. 19. The delegation stated that Saint Kitts and Nevis, although not yet a party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), recognized the Convention’s benefit to society. Thus the Building Code catered to the needs of persons with disabilities so that they could access services. 20. The majority of households in Saint Kitts and Nevis were headed by women. The powerful role of women in society continued to be underscored by their presence and impact. They continued to achieve extremely high levels and attain senior positions in their workplace, including in the public sector. The statistics showed that 66 per cent of the posts of Permanent Secretary were occupied by females, 25 per cent of police staff were female, 20 per cent of Departments were headed by females, and females represented 73 per cent of teaching staff. In the Federal Parliament, the Minister who represented the largest constituency within the Federation and the Deputy Clerk were also female. The Director of Public Prosecutions and all three Magistrates were women. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 21. During the interactive dialogue, 36 delegations made statements. A number of delegations welcomed the commitment of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the universal periodic review and its participation in the process. They also welcomed the quality of the national report and the State’s commitments to human rights in general despite the many challenges it faced. Recommendations made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of the present report. 22. Algeria welcomed the candid description by Saint Kitts and Nevis of its challenges and vulnerabilities. It welcomed the adoption of more than 22 human rights-related laws and was convinced that the limited number of ratifications of international instruments was due to limited resources for their implementation rather than to the lack of commitment. It welcomed measures taken to enhance prisons’ conditions. Algeria made recommendations. 23. Brazil noted protection of the rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS, universal education from primary to secondary level and policies for the elderly. It asked for more information on the Social Security Act and on the Social Protection Programme. Brazil noted that Saint Kitts and Nevis recognized the need to redouble its efforts against genderbased violence, particularly domestic violence. Brazil expressed its readiness to provide technical assistance and capacity-building in coordination with OHCHR at the request of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Brazil made recommendations. 24. Slovenia welcomed the commitment expressed by Saint Kitts and Nevis to ratify the core human rights instruments in spite of limited resources. Slovenia expressed concerns that the death penalty was maintained and had been applied in 2008 after a 10-year de facto moratorium. Slovenia welcomed the measures taken aimed at better protecting children and inquired about measures taken to prevent violations of the physical integrity of children. Slovenia made recommendations. 25. France deplored that the death penalty was kept in the legislation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and had been applied in 2008. France noted with satisfaction that Saint Kitts and Nevis supported the inclusion of a reference to sexual orientation in the General Assembly resolution on extrajudicial executions but noted that current legal provisions criminalized sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex. France made recommendations. 6