A/HRC/48/12 9. The President, Surangel Whipps, Jr., had recently signed an executive order creating a division of transnational crime within the Bureau of Public Safety that would focus on identifying and eliminating human trafficking in Palau. 10. The Government was committed to ensuring that human rights remained a priority. The authorities would continue to work towards ratifying treaties that had not yet been ratified and towards implementing those that had been ratified through policies and legislation. The constraints faced by Palau in the ratification and implementation of human rights treaties included limited capacity, funds and resources, as well as a perceived contradiction between Palauan cultural traditions and some universal human rights principles. Palau called upon the international community to urgently provide assistance in that regard. 11. It was important to increase understanding of the unratified treaties at the congressional level so that Congress members could engage in discussions about international human rights treaties prior to their ratification. Among the treaties in need of ratification were the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Although Palau had yet to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Constitution protected the people of Palau’s civil and political rights, as well as their economic, social and cultural rights. The delegation of Palau hoped to be able to report that at least half of the above-mentioned treaties had been ratified by the fourth cycle of the universal periodic review. 12. The delegation added that, as the tourism industry had come to a sudden halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic, assistance was needed from international partners to enable Palau to fulfil its obligations and protect human rights. 13. Since the previous universal periodic review, the Government had put in place the following laws and policies: (a) a bill to establish minimum equipment and staffing standards for ambulances in Palau; (b) a bill on “school wellness” and nutrition standards for all schools; (c) the Palau National Marine Sanctuary Act; (d) a bill on a national street and home address system; (e) the Coronavirus Relief One-Stop Shop Act; (f) legislation requiring the development of a national policy on care for the ageing; (g) an increase in the monthly stipend provided through the Severely Disabled Assistance Fund; and (h) the Anti-People Smuggling and Trafficking Act. 14. Moreover, the following policies, programmes, assessments and reports had been established, adopted or implemented by the national authorities: (a) a task force to combat human trafficking; (b) the Anti-Human Trafficking Office; (c) a report on strengthening the social protection of vulnerable populations affected by COVID-19; (d) a national coordinating mechanism to facilitate and coordinate efforts to address non-communicable diseases; (e) an economic and social development programme; (f) a national disaster riskmanagement framework; (g) a national early warning system for disaster risk-management; (i) a national policy for the elderly (March 2020); (j) a national disability policy until 2020; (k) the National Gender Mainstreaming Policy (2018); (l) the Family Protection Act (2012); (m) an increased minimum wage; (n) a monitoring and evaluation framework for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and (o) the Koror-Airai Sanitation Project. 15. Support had been provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), through a partnership with the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs, for the finalization of a report seeking to protect children from dangerous online activities. Additionally, the Ministry and UNICEF were currently conducting a comprehensive assessment of child protection. 16. Regarding the protection of persons with disabilities, a national disability policy was in place. In addition, the Government had established the Severely Disabled Assistance Fund, which was aimed at providing monthly assistance to individuals who are home- or 3