A/HRC/29/12 high maternal and child mortality rates caused by malaria, acute respiratory infection and pneumonia. It made recommendations. 50. Ireland noted the efforts made to address the issue of female genital mutilation, particularly the 2011 law to prevent and eliminate female genital mutilation, the national action plan, and the strengthening of the National Committee for the Elimination of Harmful Practices. Nevertheless, it expressed concern at the continued prevalence of female genital mutilation, as well as at cases of ritual murder, noted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. It made recommendations. 51. Italy commended Guinea-Bissau on its recent adoption of legislation aimed at fighting discrimination and violence against women. Italy also welcomed the national action plan to combat female genital mutilation and commended the inclusion of provisions to protect the rights of children in a number of domestic laws. It made recommendations. 52. Kuwait thanked the delegation for the presentation of its national report and welcomed the progress made by Guinea-Bissau in several areas, particularly the protection of human rights and gender equality. Kuwait encouraged continued action on health issues. It made recommendations. 53. Libya welcomed the progress made, which included the implementation of some of the recommendations of the previous UPR cycle and the ratification of several human rights treaties. Libya also noted the efforts made to review the statutes of the national human rights commission, in order to bring them into line with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles). It made recommendations. 54. Maldives congratulated Guinea-Bissau on the successful holding of the presidential and legislative elections in 2014 and urged the Government to make the maintenance of peace and stability in the country a priority. It called on Guinea-Bissau to urgently address its economic situation, and to take substantive steps to reduce extreme poverty. Maldives reiterated the calls made by Guinea-Bissau to the international community to provide it with technical and financial assistance, which would be essential for the country to move forward with plans for its sustainable development. It made recommendations. 55. Mali welcomed the efforts that had been undertaken to better implement the recommendations received during the first cycle. It was pleased to note the ratification of a number of international human rights instruments, the criminalization of female genital mutilation, and the adoption of legislation on human trafficking. It encouraged GuineaBissau to continue and strengthen current efforts to ensure the well-being of its population. It made a recommendation. 56. Mauritania was pleased to note that Guinea-Bissau was a party to the majority of the international human rights instruments and that it had adopted a number of laws to better protect those rights. It also noted that the country had undertaken a number of reforms, in particular in the area of education. It made a recommendation. 57. New Zealand recognized the progress made since the elections in May 2014 and commended the efforts in restoring democracy and the rule of law. It encouraged the continued strengthening of democratic institutions, and security sector reform. It also encouraged Guinea-Bissau to work towards accountability for the political violence that had occurred during the coup d’état. It made a recommendation. 58. Montenegro noted concerns about discrimination against children living with disabilities, children living with HIV/AIDS, and girls subjected to multiple forms of gender-based discrimination such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. It urged the Government to take the necessary measures to eliminate negative attitudes and practices against girls, especially in rural areas. Montenegro asked whether the Government planned GE.15-07685 9