A/HRC/31/15 110. Costa Rica noted the adoption of the national strategy for human rights and its action plan. It also noted shortcomings with regard to guaranteeing due process and unequal allocation of public resources to political parties. 111. Noting the contributions from several States on the issue during the interactive dialogue, Georgia emphasized that freedom of the media and freedom of expression lay at the heart of its priorities. Numerous reforms to facilitate media pluralism had been implemented, including legislative enactments and institutional safeguards. It provided details on the number of channels available since the digital switchover and highlighted its improved ranking in the various indices of world media freedom. 112. Georgia reiterated that the Russian Federation continued to occupy two of its regions, in violation of the Charter of the United Nations, norms and principles of international law, the 12 August 2008 ceasefire agreement brokered by the European Union, and all Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Georgia. Georgia stated that due to the occupation it was not in a position to effectively protect the rights of its compatriots in those territories. It also stated that the illegal military presence and effective control of the occupied territories of Georgia by the Russian Federation made that State an occupying power. Until the complete end of the occupation of Georgia, the responsibility for the situation in the occupied territories rested with the Russian Federation. 113. Georgia stated that a range of legislative provisions and concrete activities had been implemented to guarantee protection of the rights of ethnic minorities and to ensure their involvement in civic processes. Under the Georgian Criminal Code, crimes committed on the basis of ethnic or national background were considered as having an aggravating circumstance. The adopted Law on State Language included provisions for the use of national minority languages in the regions with a large minority population. With respect to the Roma, programmes for their registration, as well as their education, had also been implemented. Ethnic minorities had access to all levels of education, and State language programmes had been implemented for them. 114. Georgia indicated that the participation of ethnic minorities in political processes was ensured. Access by ethnic minorities to information and the media was provided, including through broadcasting in five minority languages. 115. In closing, Georgia thanked the delegations that had contributed to the review, including those which had submitted questions in advance, and in particular those which had referred to the need to address the human rights situation in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia. II. Conclusions and/or recommendations 116. The recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue and listed below enjoy the support of Georgia: 116.1 Ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure (Portugal); 116.2 Ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Convention for the Protection of All ** Conclusions and recommendations have not been edited. 13