A/HRC/11/37 1. Views expressed by the State under review on the recommendations and/or conclusions as well as on its voluntary commitments and the outcome 201. Djibouti extended the apologies of the Minister for Justice in charge of human rights, who was unable to attend the consideration of the outcome of his country at the plenary session of the Council. 202. In relation to the freedom of expression, Djibouti referred to article 1 of its Constitution, which stated that each and every person had the right to express and disseminate freely his or her opinions by word, pen or image. These rights were limited by the stipulations of the law and in respect of the honour of others. Organic law number two concerning freedom of the press and communication authorized every person in Djibouti to create and use freely the media of his or her choice to express their thought and to communicate to any others and have access to the expression of the thoughts of others. In addition to the public press bodies, there was private press as well as international press and no restriction or censorship thereof. 203. The Government had also taken appropriate measures to improve the status of journalists. Djibouti hosted the Association of Journalists of Eastern and Central Africa and the Pen Club, an association for the defence and promotion of freedom of expression. 204. In the areas of social dialogue, freedom of association and trade union rights, Djibouti was convinced of the need to create conditions to promote the emergence of a positive environment for collective negotiations and the establishment of a framework of true tripartism. With this aim in mind, the Djibouti labour code provided for the establishment of several tripartite or joint bodies: the National Council for Labour, Employment and Professional Training; the National Joint Commission for Collective Agreements and Pay Agreements; and the National Commission for Security and Labour Health. 205. Article 15 of the Djibouti Constitution guaranteed freedom of association. The modalities were detailed in a law of 1901. 206. Concerning trade union freedoms, the legislation provided the necessary guarantees to trade unions to organize themselves freely. In the new labour code, two provisions had been the subject of comments by International Labour Organization (ILO) monitoring bodies. Djibouti had committed itself to comply with ILO Convention No. 87. 207. Djibouti noted that, during the review, many delegations had taken the floor and that the recommendations covered a wide range of areas dealing with integration of women; combating female genital mutilation; the right to education; access to health; the protection of children; the ratification of international instruments; the fight against unemployment and the establishment of programmes to combat poverty; the strengthening of the judicial system and access to justice; the establishment of a schedule to address the backlog encountered in the submission of reports to treaty bodies; the establishment of a programme of cooperation and capacity-building with OHCHR; and the strengthening of efforts to establish regional assemblies to help regional communities. 208. Djibouti had accepted the overwhelming majority of recommendations, although it rejected a small number because they were either incompatible with provisions of domestic legislation or did not correspond to the reality in the country. 209. The delegation of Djibouti, as soon as it returned from the universal periodic review Working Group, organized a workshop involving all concerned stakeholders, including civil society. Four main pillars have been defined: strengthening the capacities of national bodies dealing with periodic reports and the implementation of international conventions; strengthening the capacities of the national human rights commission and civil society to raise awareness for the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights; the 90 GE.09-16766