A/HRC/45/2 mutilation. It also stressed its deep dismay that, among an estimated 51% of victims of early marriages, there were 146 cases of rape in one month and, that 95% of victims of women aged 15-49 years were subjected to genital incisions in Guinea, there is still much to be done. It emphasized how children are being mutilated, and then married at very young ages, and urged Guinea to take immediate action. It recommended that Guinea implement laws to combat female genital mutilation, introduce programmes in schools that educate against female genital mutilation, and implement programmes to both empower and support women and girls. 450. Rencontre Africaine pour la défense des droits de l’homme noted the reforms undertaken by Guinea since its last two universal periodic review cycles, including in the abolition of the death penalty and the criminalization of torture, as well as the creation of a steering committee to deal with 2009 massacre. It expressed deep frustration that 62 years after the country said no to the 1958 constitution referendum, there was hope in the country for a better future, but that since gaining independence, Guinea has seen extreme abuses of human rights. It urged Guinea, in keeping with international standards, to respect the right for peaceful assembly, guarantee freedom of press and combat sexual violence, and combat torture in places of detention, as well as stressing the urgent need to guarantee the integrity and transparency of the electoral system. 4. Concluding remarks of the State under review 451. The President stated that, based on the information provided, out of 213 recommendations received, 203 enjoy the support of Guinea, and 10 are noted. 452. Mr. Arafan Kabiné Kaba, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Guinea to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, underlined that the 10 recommendations noted mainly concern LGBTI issues. It is not a refusal by the Government, but the authorities must take into account the weight of traditions and the context in which the country finds itself. In order to be able to establish the universality of rights, the Government must take into account the realities of the Guinean society. 453. The general trend that emerges from the review of Guinea is first and foremost an acknowledgement of genuine progress in human rights in the Republic of Guinea. The acceptance of the recommendations made is a testimony of the Government’s resolute desire to renew its commitment to the Council for the implementation of the various observations and recommendations made by the various delegations, which are considered as important contributions to human rights in Guinea. The Guinean Government would like to reassure the Human Rights Council of its resolute commitment to promote human rights in all their components, including civil and political rights, economic, social, and cultural rights and the right to development. 454. This is why at the end of the work of this session, the Guinean Government, through its inter-ministerial committee for the implementation of human rights instruments and practices, is committed to further promote its awareness-raising campaigns on human rights through workshops, seminars, conferences and thematic debates. This process will be followed by the necessary and indispensable progressive harmonization of national legislation and legal instruments with international and / or regional conventions ratified by Guinea. Furthermore, all the international commitments undertaken by Guinea will be upheld. 455. He highlighted the decision at the council of ministers despite the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has decided to provide more substantial support to the Ministry of Citizenship and National Unity in charge of Human Rights issues, with the hope of also benefiting from the support of its bilateral and multilateral partners for the funding of the various projects and programmes introduced by Guinea to further cement the process of development and the promotion of human rights in the country. 81