A/HRC/30/5 34. Honduras encouraged Malawi to continue its institutional and democratic progress. It also encouraged Malawi to continue adopting the necessary measures to eliminate gender disparities in areas such as education, health and agriculture, and to implement as soon as possible the law on disabilities. 35. Iceland welcomed the adoption of the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Bill and commended Malawi on the adoption of the Gender Equality Act. It urged Malawi to repeal the provisions of the Criminal Code that criminalized consensual, adult same-sex conduct and to repeal other laws that discriminated against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex persons. 36. Indonesia commended Malawi on advancing the rights of people through cooperation among institutions and undertaking legal reforms to harmonize international conventions into national legislations. Indonesia was also pleased to note the drafting of the trafficking in persons bill. 37. Italy welcomed the engagement of Malawi in combating harmful practices such as early and forced child marriage and female genital mutilation and encouraged Malawi to further engage with those issues. 38. Kenya encouraged Malawi to complete the drafting of a national human rights action plan and to continue to clear the backlog in the submission of overdue State party reports under the various human rights instruments. 39. Kuwait noted the implementation of projects in various fields and commitment to strengthening the economy through the second growth and development strategy. Kuwait also acknowledged the commitment to generating welfare, ensuring sustainable growth and strengthening infrastructure as a means of reducing poverty. 40. Libya noted the efforts made by Malawi to promote and protect the rights of the child through the national action plan to eliminate child labour and child marriage. Libya also appreciated the efforts to promote economic and social development, including the second growth and development strategy. 41. Luxembourg congratulated Malawi on the socioeconomic progress achieved and commended the country on the adoption of the second growth and development strategy. It noted, however, that inequality of gender still remained despite measures taken to promote the rights of women and to combat violence against them. 42. Madagascar was pleased with the adoption of the Disability Act, the Gender Equality Act and several laws relating to the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. Madagascar encouraged Malawi to continue these efforts in order to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights. 43. Mauritania noted the ratification of human rights instruments, as well as reforms to the legal framework to ensure that it was compatible with human rights norms. It stated that those actions were a testimony to the international and ethical commitment of Malawi to human rights. 44. Mauritius recalled that it had previously recommended that consideration be given to promoting and strengthening vocational education and training to reduce the high number of school dropouts. It thanked Malawi for accepting its recommendation and urged it to continue with such initiatives. 45. Mexico welcomed legislative efforts by Malawi, noting the enactment of legislation on children, gender equality and education, but also observed shortcomings in areas such as access to information and prisons. It also noted the country’s efforts to present reports to treaty bodies. 7