A/HRC/36/8 68. Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomed steps taken to further enhance a strong foundation for the protection of human rights, in particular the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 69. Botswana welcomed the Action Plan for Gender Equality and amendments to the legislation on sexual offences. However, it was concerned about the high incidence of domestic violence, challenges in combating trafficking and the persistence of discrimination against persons with disabilities, immigrants and minority groups. 70. Brazil commended Finland for its Non-discrimination Act and the designation of the Parliamentary Ombudsman as the national preventive mechanism against torture. It noted, however, that the Criminal Code continued to define rape according to the degree of violence of the perpetrator. 71. Bulgaria commended Finland for its ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. 72. Canada commended Finland for its continued commitment to improve respect for human rights and its efforts to strive for the principles of non-discrimination, equal opportunities and transparency. 73. Chile appreciated the 2013 Human Rights Strategy of the Foreign Service of Finland. It was concerned about the lack of progress on the ratification of the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), and wished to know whether Finland was considering acceding to that instrument and, if so, how the Sami people would participate in the accession process. 74. China welcomed the commitment of Finland to meeting its targets for development assistance. It noted with concern that the Roma and Sami minorities still faced discrimination in education, employment and housing owing to racism, xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment, which was on the rise. 75. Colombia highlighted the high percentage of women in Parliament, Government and among Finnish representatives in the European Parliament. It also highlighted the revision of the Aliens Act, which affected unaccompanied minors and family reunification. 76. Côte d’Ivoire noted the legislative provisions that had been adopted in Finland regarding gender equality and the care of persons with disabilities. Côte d’Ivoire encouraged the Government to strengthen its efforts to guarantee universal human rights in the country, particularly for minorities, migrants and asylum seekers. 77. Cuba highlighted actions taken to comply with the previous review recommendations relating to human rights treaties, such as the ratification by Finland of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It congratulated Finland on its commitment to exceeding the budget for development, including the funding target of 0.2 per cent of gross national income to the least developed countries. 78. Egypt expressed concern regarding the increase in Finland of hate speech, xenophobia, Islamophobia and racist and aggressive acts, especially against migrants and asylum seekers. It also noted that the increased number of hate crimes might jeopardize social relations. 79. Estonia welcomed the ratification by Finland of several United Nations human rights instruments and of the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, as well as its efforts to tackle discrimination, hate speech and hate crime. It acknowledged the contribution Finland made to international development policy. 80. France welcomed the importance attributed by Finland to human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as the development of a National Action Plan on Fundamental and Human Rights, in line with previous review recommendations. 81. Georgia noted with appreciation that Finland was a signatory to most international conventions. It welcomed the ratification by Finland of several human rights instruments 9