A/HRC/38/8 77. Estonia commended the initiatives of Botswana to eradicate poverty, including the Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act of 2017 domesticating the Rome Statue. Estonia encouraged Botswana to gradually reduce the backlog of periodic reports to the treaty bodies. 78. Ethiopia commended the adoption of the Vision 2036 agenda and the Eleventh National Development Plan, and noted with satisfaction the Government’s initiatives to eradicate poverty. 79. Finland noted that indigenous children’s access to education should be strengthened. It also noted the ongoing efforts to establish a national human rights institution and stressed the importance of ensuring compliance with the Paris Principles. 80. France welcomed the significant progress made by Botswana in human rights, especially in terms of freedom of expression and of the press, the cultural rights of minorities and the fight against HIV/AIDS. 81. Gabon welcomed actions taken to combat poverty, social disparity and vulnerability, and welcomed programmes to empower women and promote gender equality. 82. Georgia welcomed efforts towards the establishment of a national human rights institution and encouraged the Government to strengthen measures in that direction. It encouraged Botswana to accelerate efforts that were aimed at preventing gender-based violence. 83. Germany commended Botswana for the improvements it had made in access to health care, schooling and education. 84. Ghana welcomed the progress made in eradicating poverty, combating HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence and promoting children’s rights and gender equality. It was concerned that civil society actors had been excluded from benchmarking missions to human rights institutions in some African countries. 85. Greece commended Botswana for implementing recommendations from the previous review, achievements in reducing poverty, efforts towards establishing a national human rights institution and the domestication of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. 86. The Holy See commended Botswana for its efforts in implementing poverty eradication initiatives and encouraged the Government to pursue that work. 87. Honduras welcomed efforts to implement recommendations from the previous review, particularly those relating to development and poverty reduction. 88. Iceland commended Botswana for progress in implementing recommendations from the previous review, and for introducing a women’s empowerment programme. 89. India welcomed the amendment of the Ombudsman Act to establish a national human rights institution, the efforts of Botswana to curtail poverty and unemployment and its empowerment of women and youth. India noted progress in implementing the right to health, including the development of the national HIV/AIDS strategy. 90. Indonesia commended the work of Botswana in transforming the Office of the Ombudsman into a national human rights institution. In the view of Indonesia, the appeal by Botswana for continued support in combating HIV/AIDS should be prioritized by development partners and the international community. 91. Iraq commended the efforts of Botswana to eradicate poverty, notably through its development plan for remote areas, and its efforts to eradicate HIV/AIDS. 92. Ireland was concerned that consensual adult same-sex sexual activities remained criminalized, that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons were stigmatized and that the death penalty had been retained. Recalling previous relevant recommendations, Ireland expressed regret at the fact that marital rape had not been criminalized. 8