A/HRC/44/13 46. Brazil acknowledged the efforts of Grenada to promote and protect human rights, in particular to combat human trafficking, to address gender inequality, to guarantee birth registration, to provide access to health, to combat poverty and to address HIV/AIDS prevalence and treatment. It commended the launch of the Special Victims Unit and a hotline to deal with victims of sexual crimes, domestic violence and child abuse. Brazil was concerned that insufficient progress had been made towards the abolishment of the death penalty. 47. Cabo Verde commended Grenada on its National Sustainable Development Plan 2020–2035 and recognized with satisfaction that the Plan incorporated the link between sustainable development and human rights as well as an integrated approach to climate change. Cabo Verde encouraged Grenada to continue in this way as numerous challenges remained in the areas of sustainable development and climate resilience. 48. Canada recognized the efforts of Grenada to address gender-based violence, such as the establishment of a special unit for victims and a telephone line to report sexual violence, and encouraged Grenada to continue fighting the problem. 49. The head of delegation reported that the Cabinet of Ministers of Grenada had established the National Coordinating Committee on Human Rights, whose mandate included implementing and following up on the recommendations arising from the universal periodic review. The Committee also had the mandate to draft action plans and report to the Cabinet of Ministers. The Committee consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Development, Housing and Community Empowerment, the Ministry of Health, Social Security and International Business, the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Royal Grenada Police Force and Her Majesty’s Prisons. Consultations were also held with a number of stakeholders and civil society organizations, including the Grenada National Coalition on the Rights of the Child, the Grenada National Counsel of the Disabled, the Grenada Human Rights Organization and the Office of the Ombudsman. 50. On the issues of domestic violence and child abuse, Grenada continued to prioritize the tackling of these issues through legislative and policy interventions. In 2017, the Government had enacted the Police Standing Order (Amendment) 2017, which led to the repeal and replacement of chapter 17 of the principal Police Standing Order, which dealt with domestic violence and sexual violence. The objective of the amendment was to provide a systematic approach in the administration of justice as it related to domestic violence. The amendment listed the key principles that would guide the Royal Grenada Police Force in enforcing the law as it related to domestic violence and outlined the procedures to be followed when dealing with cases of domestic violence. 51. Apart from legislative interventions, Grenada continued to address gender-based violence through several policy interventions. In its medium-term agenda, the Government identified strengthening interventions to combat domestic violence and child abuse as a priority for 2019–2021. The Spotlight Initiative, a multi-year programme of the European Union and the United Nations, was launched in September 2017. The project, which was valued at over 2 million euros, represents the largest investment targeted at eliminating violence against women and girls in the history of Grenada. The delegation noted that Grenada was the only Eastern Caribbean State to benefit from the project. The United Nations Resident Coordinator attributed this situation to “the enabling environment that exists, which increases the potential to maximize the impact of the project”. 52. Regarding the de jure abolition of the death penalty, Grenada reported that there had been some discussion on the matter in the context of the 2016 iteration of constitutional reforms but little support for it. The head of delegation reiterated that Grenada was a de facto abolitionist State with a de facto moratorium in effect since 1978. In addition, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the highest appellate court of Grenada, had held that the mandatory death penalty was unconstitutional and had continued to emphasize the primacy of life. 53. Regarding the prohibition of all corporal punishment of children, it was noted that, although domestic law did under some circumstances allow corporal punishment, the Government would continue to raise public awareness in order to discontinue the practice. 7