A/HRC/12/50 1. Views expressed by the State under review on the recommendations and/or conclusions as well as on its voluntary commitments and on the outcome 263. The representative from Belize and High Commissioner from the United Kingdom stated that Belize viewed human rights as fundamental to the country’s development, its democracy and the very way of life of its citizens. For that reason, Belize had accepted the vast majority of recommendations, and that further consultations at home were required on a mere 10 recommendations. Belize had approached the universal periodic review seriously and with the frankness and sense of commitment that was indispensable to making the review meaningful. Belize’s final position in respect of all the recommendations was contained in the addendum to the report (A/HRC/12/ 7/Add.1). 264. Belize would continue to take a measured approach to the consideration of and accession to new treaties, which would include a thorough review of obligations and reporting requirements to ensure meeting fully those obligations upon accession. 265. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize was in an advanced stage of discussions with OHCHR in Panama to organize a workshop in Belize aimed at building the capacity of Government and stakeholders in drafting reports for the treaty bodies. 266. The representative reiterated her call to OHCHR, and the international community generally, to assist small countries like Belize in improving their technical capacity to meet their reporting obligations. 267. Belize had noted that meeting reporting obligations was a shortcoming that plagued many small States. It may be necessary to rethink the existing process so that there could be more consolidation and streamlining of reports. 268. Similarly, the Government of Belize had made initial contact with OHCHR to express its interest in exploring the possibility of establishing a national human rights institution. Full consideration of all aspects of the establishment of such an institution had to be undertaken before a final decision could be taken. In the interim, however, a number of existing institutions, such as the National AIDS Commission, the National Women’s Commission, the National Council on Aging and the National Committee for Families and Children, were tasked with ensuring the implementation of the particular human rights treaty. The National Women’s Commission of Belize was presently engaging in a project aimed at building the capacity of Belizean women to become more active participants in local and national politics, a deficiency acknowledged in the national report. 269. These were only a few examples to demonstrate that Belize was already beginning to take action on a number of the recommendations, and would continue in this vein. 270. The fundamental human rights of all Belizeans were enshrined in the Constitution. The preparation of the national report for the universal periodic review provided an opportunity to assess Belize’s human rights framework, the effectiveness of its implementation programmes and the reach of its human rights promotion initiatives. The interactive dialogue provided constructive and insightful comments and recommendations. Belize had found the review process forthright, but was appreciative of its socio-economic context and resource constraints. It was the view of Belize that the universal periodic review had achieved its objective, demanding the self-reflection that is imperative for improvement. It had also provided the opportunity to reaffirm Belize’s unwavering commitment to human rights. 102