A/HRC/14/37 discourse on television, including during the electoral period. It also noted that a number of journalists needed to live under police protection owing to their investigative work on the mafia. 293. The Joint European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Federation commended Italy for accepting a recommendation to strengthen measures to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to ensure adequate protection of LGB people. It noted that legal protection against discrimination of LGB persons only existed in the area of employment. In view of increasing violence against these groups, they should be included in appropriate hate-crime legislation. Training should be provided to the police and other relevant authorities. Public education and awarenessraising campaigns should also be promoted. It welcomed Italy’s support for the joint statement on sexual orientation and gender identity and human rights delivered in December 2008 at the General Assembly. 294. Franciscans International was pleased with the involvement of Italian civil society in the universal periodic review process, and recommended that Italy put in place a follow-up mechanism and continue the dialogue with civil society. It appreciated Italy’s commitment to reduce pollution emissions from the Cerano coal power plant in the Apulia region and the Taranto metallurgical plant, and requested that concrete steps be taken and made public as soon as possible. It regretted the fact that Italy had declined to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers, and invited Italy to consider leading a consultation process to review the position vis-à-vis the Convention among the members of the European Union. It regretted Italy’s reasons for rejecting recommendations concerning the decriminalization of irregular migrants. 295. Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo stated that Italy remained one of the few European countries without a national human rights institution, and expressed concern at the continuing delay in the establishment of such a body, noting that no concrete action had been taken to date. In this regard, it recalled the voluntary pledge made by Italy in 2008, when presenting its candidature for membership in the Council. It also noted that, in 2008, a draft bill had been announced, although its text had never been made public. It considered that budgetary constraints could not constitute a valid excuse, and recommended that Italy should establish such an institution as a matter of urgency. 4. Concluding remarks of the State under review 296. In response to the comments and queries, Italy observed that, to a great extent, they had focused on the area of migration and the integration of the Roma and the Sinti. In this regard, Italy acknowledged that the situation was not perfect, but it was improving. While Italy had still been a country of massive emigration some 30 years earlier, it had now suddenly become a country of massive immigration. This shift had brought about a number of complications for the legislature and for the general public. 297. A main feature of Italy’s policy was that it distinguished between regular and irregular migrants, to encourage the former and discourage the latter. Italy was not in a position to sign the Convention on Migrant Workers, which made no such distinction. A key component of the migration policy was the fight against organized crime, which took advantage of unfortunate people seeking to leave their countries. This fight was intensifying. The second goal was to work with countries of origin, which were supposed to treat their citizens well, but frequently failed to do so. This often resulted in the unfortunate departure of the most talented people, known as the “brain drain”. A third line of action was cooperation with transit countries, which were also responsible for the humane treatment of migrants. In addition, Italy was working with partners in the European Union towards increased regulation and burden-sharing, noting that a large number of migrants arriving in GE.12-17781 93