II. III. IV. mobile civil registration units;14 further raise awareness about the importance of birth registration, as well as simplify the procedure, including by continuing to establish mobile registration structures, eliminate hidden fees and costs associated with registration that negatively affect birth registration rates, and allocate adequate human and financial resources;15 continue and strengthen its measures to ensure that all children, including children from Hmong-Mien households, are registered at birth (noting that birth registration among Hmong-Mien households is particularly low), and implement a mechanism to monitor national and international adoptions, including by ratifying the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Inter-Country Adoption;16 and, continue and strengthen its efforts to ensure the birth registration of all children through measures such as mobile units, including children living in remote areas and villages and children in street situations, remove all impediments to universal access to birth registration procedures, allocate adequate human, technical and financial resources to computerising its system for birth registration, and seek international assistance (such as from UNICEF or the UN) to ensure the computerised and centralised universal registration of births.17 23. Two of the above-mentioned UN Treaty Bodies specifically commended Lao PDR for its legal framework in relation to acquisition of nationality18 and for introducing a chapter of fundamental rights in its constitution.19 24. It should also be noted that the following issues, while not directly related to issues of statelessness, were raised made the Committee on the ICCPR:20 I. II. a recommendation for the removal of Lao PDR's reservations and declarations to the ICCPR; and, the discrimination against Hmong ethnic group, in relation to land grabbing, arbitrary arrest and detention of protesters and enforced disappearance of individuals (including, Kha Yang, Wuthipong Kachathamakul, Bouavanh Chanhmanivon and Keochay, Kingkeo Phongsely, Somchit, Soubinh, Souane, Sinpasong, Khamsone, Nou, Somkhit, and Sourigna, Somphone Khantisouk and others). Country visits by Special Procedures 25. Although Lao PDR has not issued a standing invitation to all UN special procedures, it has allowed them on a case by case basis. These special procedures have also led to a number of concerns 14 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Concluding observations on the combined eighth and ninth periodic reports of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, UN Doc CEDAW/C/LAO/CO/8-9 (14 November 2018), par 34. 15 Committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Concluding observations on the combined third to sixth periodic reports of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, UN Doc CRC/C/LAO/CO/3-6 (1 November 2018), par 20 and 24. 16 Committee on the CRC, Concluding observations on the report submitted by the Lao People's Democratic Republic under article 12(1) of the Optional Protocol to the CRC on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, UN Doc CRC/C/OPSC/LAO/CO/1 (3 July 2015), par 21(c) and 22(c). 17 Committee on the CRC, Concluding observations on the report submitted by the Lao People's Democratic Republic under article 8(1) of the Optional Protocol to the CRC on the involvement of children in armed conflict, UN Doc CRC/C/OPAC/LAO/CO/1 (3 July 2015), par 15. 18 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Concluding observations on the combined eighth and ninth periodic reports of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, UN Doc CEDAW/C/LAO/CO/8-9 (14 November 2018), par 33. 19 Committee on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Concluding observations on the initial report of the Lao PDR, UN Doc CCPR/C/LAO/CO/1 (23 November 2018), par 3(a). 20 Ibid, par 9, 10 and 19. 5