A/HRC/30/28 was able to follow the status of implementation of Italy’s international human rights obligations. 33. It had also set up several working groups on specific issues, including on the universal periodic review, civil and political rights, racial discrimination and torture, women and gender issues, rights of the child, economic social and cultural rights, disabilities, and the development of a core document for the international treaty bodies, which was completed in 2014. 34. In July 2014, it had submitted the second national report to the Human Rights Council for the universal periodic review. It had prepared the report through a complex procedure of consultation and coordination. This process had involved discussing a number of sensitive issues, such as: (a) immigration, asylum and the rights of migrants; (b) the fight against racism; (c) the treatment of Roma and Sinti communities; (d) the administration of justice and the treatment of detainees; (e) counter-terrorism legislation and the expulsion of aliens; (f) national institutions for the protection and the promotion of human rights; and (g) protection of the most vulnerable. 35. He said that the Interministerial Committee very actively promoted outreach to civil society and awareness-raising in the field of human rights. It was engaged in consultations with non-governmental organizations on the implementation of the country’s international commitments at the United Nations and the Council of Europe. It also actively cooperated with universities, promoting academic initiatives in the field of human rights, including the right to peace, environmental sustainability, education and the protection of cultural heritage. Italy had for many years pursued the establishment of a national human rights institution, which, when established, would be a welcome complement to the Interministerial Committee. III. Plenary discussion 36. During the panel discussion, representatives of the following States and organizations took the floor: Algeria, Bahrain, Burkina Faso, China, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador (on behalf of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), Estonia, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference), Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Thailand and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), as well as the European Union. Representatives of the following national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations also took the floor: Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, Conseil national des droits de l’homme du Maroc, International Service for Human Rights, Korea Center for United Nations Human Rights Policy, Scottish Human Rights Commission (video statement) and Verein Südwind Entwicklungspolitik. 37. In their comments, many representatives praised the technical assistance provided by OHCHR and acknowledged the value of using a human rights-based approach when planning, implementing and monitoring national policies. The High Commissioner was encouraged to continue supporting States with technical assistance and advisory services in mainstreaming human rights in public policymaking and policy implementation. Delegations also underlined the importance of ensuring that policies were conceived founded on broad-based participation and consultative processes that engaged all the relevant stakeholders in the country. That was particularly important in countries with large and diverse populations. Transparent and impartial mechanisms for cooperation were important to ensure the quality of support. There was further general agreement that exchanging best practices was an important tool for policymakers to identify suitable 8