A/HRC/38/12 elaborated by the Government aimed at reducing discrimination against various vulnerable groups. 69. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela welcomed the progress made by Barbados in implementing the recommendations it had accepted during the previous cycles of the universal periodic review. It noted numerous positive developments, including the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the country’s high level of human development and the implementation of programmes to fight extreme poverty. It also noted progress in the field of adequate housing and the empowerment of women. 70. Algeria welcomed the progress made by Barbados since its second universal periodic review and commended it for the implementation of a development plan aimed at promoting lasting social development. It also welcomed the efforts of Barbados in the field of education, health and poverty reduction. 71. Angola commended Barbados for the implementation of the recommendations from the last universal periodic review and the adoption, in 2016, of legislation ensuring better protection for women. It appealed to OHCHR and other United Nations agencies to continue engaging with Barbados on capacity-building and technical assistance. 72. Argentina welcomed the delegation of Barbados and thanked it for the presentation of its national report. 73. Australia commended the progress in promoting and protecting human rights, including ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It was concerned that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons continued to be subject to discrimination. It was seriously concerned with the perpetration of violence and abuse against women and children. Australia acknowledged the commitment of Barbados to end the courts’ use of the death penalty as a sentence, while it was concerned at the delay in its implementation. 74. Azerbaijan commended Barbados for the progress it had achieved in addressing the recommendations it had received during the last cycle. It appreciated the wide range of legislative and institutional measures undertaken by Barbados to further improve the protection and promotion of human rights, including throughout the policies pursued with regard to the right to education, the right to health, gender equality, domestic violence and the rights of persons with disabilities. It congratulated Barbados for ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 75. The Bahamas congratulated Barbados on its commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights, while noting that Barbados faced challenges due to its vulnerability to external shocks. Despite that, Barbados had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and made legislative reforms through the promulgation of the Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) (Amendment) Act, 2016, and the Employment Sexual Harassment (Prevention) Act, 2017. 76. Belgium acknowledged the positive steps taken by Barbados with respect to the implementation of recommendations accepted during the second cycle. However, it was convinced that further progress could still be achieved to increase the protection of human rights in line with the core international human rights treaties. Belgium attached a lot of importance to the rights of the child in Barbados. 77. Brazil appreciated the efforts made by Barbados to abolish the mandatory death penalty in cases of murder. It praised the de facto moratorium on this kind of punishment, as no execution had been applied since 1984. It commended the initiatives of the high-level authorities in support of tolerance and respect for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. It praised the high literacy rates among women and the gender parity at the primary and secondary school levels. However, it expressed its concern about the situation of victims of domestic violence. 78. Canada commended the Government’s adoption of the Employment Sexual Harassment (Prevention) Act, 2017. It welcomed the launch in Barbados of the Model Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases in the Caribbean Region in 2017 — the first country in the region to do so. The Model Guidelines provided internationally accepted best practices 8