A/HRC/19/2 its three recommendations concerning accession to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, improving conditions for business and also the right to housing. It also congratulated the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on its commitment to the promotion of economic and social rights, as seen recently during negotiations of the draft labour law. 655. The Dominican Republic stated that the universal periodic review had shown the commitment of the Government to the observance of human rights in its country. It commended the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for its spirit of solidarity and cooperation, without conditions, that it provided to other peoples of the region by undertaking successful programmes in the areas of economic, social and cultural rights. The Dominican Republic encouraged it to continue to strengthen its social policies in favour of those in need. 656. The Islamic Republic of Iran pointed out that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela had actively participated in the universal periodic review process, demonstrating its commitment to the work of the Human Rights Council. It made reference to a number of recommendations that had been accepted by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and expressed its confidence that they would be fully implemented in good faith. It commended the efforts that had been made by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to raise the living standards of its people and to remove social inequality. 657. Ecuador highlighted the important results achieved by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as part of its efforts to combat poverty, exclusion and marginalization, as seen in the progress made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Ecuador commended its efforts in the areas of access to health services by the majority of the population, gender equality, the attention to children and other vulnerable sectors of the population, economic and social development, and the establishment of a process of intercultural and multilingual education. Ecuador supported the initiatives for the integration of nations of the region and recognized the leading role that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela played in them. 658. The Syrian Arab Republic highlighted the positive attitude of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the universal periodic review and the transparency of its national report. It expressed appreciation for the State’s commitment to put into effect the recommendations made by it. It noted the State’s commitment to the international instruments to which it was a party, and encouraged it to continue its efforts to maintain its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and to safeguard the rights of its people. The Syrian Arab Republic welcomed the positive measures taken with all stakeholders in the field of human rights, in particular in education, health and the fight against poverty. It applauded the initiatives undertaken by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to ensure social justice despite the challenges it faced. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was moving along the right path to strengthening human rights, and it was encouraged to step up those efforts. 3. General comments made by other relevant stakeholders 659. The Ombudsman’s Office (Defensoría del Pueblo), accredited with “A” status, acknowledged the Government’s efforts in the area of human rights, including policies for the progressive realization of the rights to health, food, water, land, culture and the protection of vulnerable groups. It noted the recent policy to combat violence through the control of firearms, and recommended that efforts for a comprehensive strategy on social violence should be continued. It requested the Government to continue to strengthen its penitentiary policies with a view to overcoming the vulnerability of persons deprived of their liberty. 232 GE.13-14768