A/HRC/33/16 suppression of torture and enforced disappearance will strengthen the protection of human rights defenders. 152. The Ministry of Justice started studying the possibility of abolishing the death penalty five years ago. The country’s intention was reaffirmed in the Third National Human Rights Plan. Despite varying public sentiment, the Ministry of Justice continues to look into the possibility of abolishing the death penalty. 153. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime continues to implement the second phase of “Project Childhood” on enhancing law enforcement capacity for national and transnational action to identify and effectively act upon child sex offenders travelling to Thailand. 154. The minimum age allowed for entering into marriage under the Civil and Commercial Code is 17 years, or lower if permitted by a court decision. For those under 20 years of age, parental consent is needed. 155. The right to preserve cultural heritage was made concrete as Thailand is becoming a party to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. 156. A number of primary schools in border and marginalized areas that offer nine years of compulsory education have been given special assistance by the Ministry of Education to provide multilingual teaching to ethnic children speaking non-Thai languages. 157. Thailand will take a realistic approach and make sure that the recommendations it decides to accept correspond with its capacity to implement them. The Government is determined to work closely with all stakeholders in the follow-up stage. It intends to raise awareness of the review outcome and the recommendations to be accepted to the wider public. II. Conclusions and/or recommendations 158. The recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue/listed below have been examined by Thailand and enjoy the support of Thailand: 158.1 Continue to consider ratification of international instruments (Pakistan); 158.2 Continue its accession to the core international human rights instruments (Azerbaijan); 158.3 Continue the efforts undertaken for the ratification of international human rights instruments and for the harmonization of the national legislation (Djibouti); 158.4 Withdraw its interpretative declaration on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and its reservation to article 4 (South Africa); 158.5 Ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Portugal); 158.6 Ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Austria) (Poland); ** The conclusions and recommendations have not been edited. 13