A/HRC/31/16 23. The delegation underscored that, in July 2015, the police unveiled its Crime Action Plan to enhance public safety. It mentioned a number of achievements and stated the Plan had been working. 24. Regarding the country’s reporting to United Nations treaty bodies, Saint Kitts and Nevis was pleased to report that it had submitted its 2012 report on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 25. The delegation indicated that the criminal justice system as a whole was under review and a number of proposals to reduce the backlog had already been approved. It was the Government’s intention to establish an additional criminal court in the short term and to provide judges with better legal support staff. 26. The delegation also asserted that the country was consolidating an educational system that was increasingly in line with the needs of the population. It affirmed that, with technical assistance from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Ministry of Education had been engaged in consultations to create an education sector strategy document. 27. Saint Kitts and Nevis had continued to adopt measures to put an end to corporal punishment, as the Ministry of Education had adopted the effective UNICEF framework on child-friendly schools and was incorporating that framework in its sector strategy document. In addition, a behavioural policy had been drafted and would be forwarded to the Cabinet for adoption. That policy prohibited the use of corporal punishment as a tool to discipline children enrolled in public institutions of learning. 28. In consultation with civil society, the new political administration had made a pledge to institutionalize a process of consultation between the Government and all citizens, including civil society, on matters of national importance. In the previous month, representatives of civil society had been invited to and participated in the annual National Consultation on the economy. 29. With respect to previously noted recommendations, Saint Kitts and Nevis made a number of comments. Regarding the replacement of the Basseterre facility with a new prison that met international standards, the Government was very concerned about appropriate housing for incarcerated inmates and the delegation commented that funding had been the greatest challenge. 30. Regarding the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with the assistance of UNESCO, a situational analysis had been undertaken to determine the readiness of the State for its adoption, which would be used to chart a plan of action to accompany the recommendation for Parliament to ratify the Convention. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 31. During the interactive dialogue, 48 delegations made statements. Recommendations made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of the present report. 32. Barbados noted the emphasis placed on poverty reduction, the close collaboration with United Nations agencies to strengthen social assistance, improve education and health care and encouraged continued strengthening of domestic legislation to create sustainable social protection reform. It also noted the creation of a Special Victims Unit within the police force to address violence against women and girls and the legislation aimed at bringing about equality in the work place for men and women. It encouraged continued collaboration with the International Labour Organization in developing codes to protect workers. 6