A/HRC/8/43 Page 12 child labour, and the Government is currently considering a draft document on child labour. In terms of institutions, a child labour unit has been set up within the Ministry of Labour, which monitors issues regarding child labour and a national steering committee has been established, which is comprised of ministries, NGOs and other stakeholders that have child welfare/labourrelated programmes. The delegation underlined the importance of developing a multi-faceted approach, which requires concerted efforts of all stakeholders, and stated that child labour committees are being created that carry out awareness programmes. 39. On the need for technical support for State reporting obligations, the delegation stated that Zambia is one of those countries in the region which are almost up to date with all State reports. Local capacity has been created to deal with these obligations, and the Government intends to update all reports. On the Human Rights Commission and its mandate, the delegation stated that like any other granted institution, it has its autonomy. However, it relies on finances from the treasury, which has limited resources. Like any body relying on Government funds, 100 per cent funding cannot be provided. 40. New Zealand welcomed the efforts made by Zambia in improving the rights of its citizens and in engaging constructively with civil society and the international community to address human rights issue in a transparent and genuinely democratic manner. It welcomed the announcement that Zambia will issue a standing invitation to all special procedures. It noted the challenges faced by Zambia in health services and also noted the high level of mortality rate due to a high percentage of unskilled home deliveries and limited access to facilities. It however noted that the enfant and child mortality has declined. It welcomed the positive steps taken to address maternal neo-natal and child health and would welcome any information on current levels of engagement with practitioners at the community level who are involved in the development of national strategies to improve health standard in these areas. It also indicated that if it is not happening yet, it recommended that Zambia consider developing a strategy that ensures that the experiences of community practitioners are taken into account in the development of its national strategies to improve health standards in these areas. 41. Ireland welcomed the announcement that Zambia will be issuing a standing invitation to all special procedures. It welcomed the ongoing efforts of Zambia to improve prison conditions and recommended that Zambia continue to prioritize the improvement of the conditions of detention. It welcomed the information received concerning freedom of expression and recommended Zambia continue the reform of the Criminal Code in relation to the prosecution of journalists. Regarding the issue of decriminalization of same sex relationships between consenting adults, it thanked the information provided by the Zambian delegation and stated that criminalization leads to unnecessary suffering of men and women and respectfully asked Zambia to keep an open mind with regard to it. 42. The Syrian Arab Republic welcomed the Government’s efforts to respect its human rights obligations, its national plan of work to implement treaty body recommendations, national education services to increase the number of girls receiving education, and its efforts to combat hunger, poverty and corruption. It noted that Zambia was among the foremost African States and 30th in the world in the fight against corruption, according to a report of Transparency International in 2004. HIV/AIDS was cited as one of the main challenges for the country and the Syrian Arab Republic appealed to states to strengthen development assistance to Zambia in this regard. It asked what measures were being adopted by Zambia to raise awareness among population of the dangers of AIDS and what measures were implemented for people affected by it. It also asked what negative consequences had emerged from TRIPS agreements at the international level.