A/HRC/29/16 122. On consultation with indigenous peoples, the delegation stated that there were several indigenous NGOs. However, the Government dealt more with the elected representatives of the indigenous communities. All of the indigenous leaders met every year at the National Toshaos Council, and every one of them had an opportunity to interact directly with the President and the ministers. That was where a lot of the consultations with indigenous leaders took place, and where indigenous peoples put forward their plans and programmes, such as the community development plans that were presented for inclusion in the national budget. The delegation considered that the consultation and involvement of indigenous peoples in all matters of life, including politics, had never been as robust as it was now. 123. On the issue raised by Romania regarding the Women and Gender Equality Commission, the delegation affirmed that Guyana would continue to allocate the necessary resources to the Commission, and that it was also looking for the support of international partners. 124. Regarding a comprehensive national strategy to prevent various forms of violence against children, the delegation reported that information had been provided in the national report, but it understood that States had not seen the report earlier. 125. Regarding the legal services in the hinterland, Guyana had expanded those services and had committed to continue to work on that issue. On the issue of housing, raised by Singapore, the delegation said that housing was one of the flagship projects of Guyana. It had increased tremendously, and the Government had learned much from what had been done in Singapore. 126. On the issue of forced marriage raised by Slovenia, the delegation affirmed that in Guyana no one could get married before the age of 16 unless his or her parents consented; there had been no such requests that the delegation knew of. 127. With regard to ensuring that persons of African descent were able to participate in and integrate into society, the delegation said that it was very difficult to have more than 30 per cent of the population not involved in the society; however, all of the different groups in the society were represented in Government, Parliament and public bodies, which made Guyanese proud. 128. Regarding the media, action taken by Guyana had been described in the report. It supported self-regulation in the media because rights came with responsibilities. 129. The delegation concluded by thanking the delegations, and underscored that many issues raised had been addressed in the report. II. Conclusions and/or recommendations 130. The recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue and listed below have been examined by and enjoy the support of Guyana: 130.1. Consider ratifying the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention against Discrimination in Education (Ghana); 130.2. Continue harmonizing its legal framework with respect to women and children with CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, respectively (Nicaragua);  The conclusions and recommendations have not been edited. 15