A/HRC/13/56 economic difficulties, while consolidating and developing its political, economic and social system. 604. The Government deemed it essential to bring about early solutions to the difficulties in people’s everyday lives, caused by consecutive natural disasters in the 1990s and by the ongoing economic blockade and sanctions by the hostile forces against the State. To that end, in 2010, the Government was working towards a radical turn in improving the living standards of its people. 605. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was pushing ahead with measures for a great productive increase in all fields of national economy. It was also taking practical steps to give full play to people-oriented policies, including complete and universal medical care and 11 years of free and compulsory education. 606. With regard to the recommendations on the rights of women and children, the policy consistently maintained by the State since its foundation was that children were the future of the country. 607. Women actively participated in State and social affairs. Additional measures would be taken to increase the ratio of women in public offices and to promote them to important positions of State and public institutions; comprehensive laws aimed at guaranteeing the rights of children and women would also be adopted. 608. The livelihood of vulnerable groups, including women, children and the elderly, was being considerably improved. Their rights and welfare would be further promoted as the overall economy was revitalized and raised to a higher standard. 609. The Government would continue to study the recommendations, such as the strengthening of human rights education, attaining the Millennium Development Goals and improving education and public health. Simultaneously, it would strive to take necessary legal, judicial and administrative measures to implement them. 610. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had rejected 50 recommendations at the Working Group stage, since they were in total conflict with its principled stand against the politicization of human rights; they therefore did not enjoy its support. Regrettably, those recommendations focused on issues that were extraneous to genuine human rights issues and were purely put forward out of hostility towards the country. 611. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea wished to emphasize the question of discrimination raised in comments and recommendations by certain countries. Discrimination did not exist in the country, where equal rights and freedoms were fully guaranteed to all people in all fields of State and social life. No discrimination was stipulated or allowed in laws or norms. 612. With regard to the recommendations on cooperation with international human rights mechanisms and special procedures, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea rejected politicization and pursued genuine dialogue and cooperation. It did not recognize and therefore categorically rejected the so-called “resolutions” against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as the mandate of “special rapporteur” imposed by them. 613. The so-called “resolutions” and the mandate of “special rapporteur” were confrontational in nature and not conducive to cooperation on human rights, because they were politically motivated. The practice of anachronistic “resolutions” and the “special rapporteur” on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea must no longer be tolerated in the Council. 614. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea attached importance to the role that thematic special rapporteurs played, and would continue to pay special attention to the 171