A/HRC/46/34/Add.1 regeneration of public spaces in conditions of quality, equality, inclusiveness, accessibility and universal design.16 50. During her visit, the expert was also told about the use of public spaces for a range of sporting activities, including play by organized sports teams. She was greatly impressed by the regular, active use of the airfield in the morning and evening and on weekends as a shared space for leisure, sports and games by women and men, both young and old. This space is of particular relevance during the half-day per week for physical fitness that has been introduced in the schedule of civil servants. Combined with awareness-raising messages on the importance of exercise and a good diet, this practice fosters the rights to the highest attainable standard of health, to take part in cultural life and to leisure, to be jointly realized and to mutually reinforce each other. It also provides a time and space for spontaneous interactions between generations and across professional and social backgrounds. 51. However, public spaces for other forms of cultural activities seem to be very limited. Tuvalu does not have any formal theatres, galleries or stages for artistic performances, nor does it have bookshops or a publishing house. As songs and dances are very integrated within public life, performances are usually held in the kaupules’ assembly space, but challenges remain for regular training and practice. There is only one library, and it is located in the capital. Reportedly, the space used as a cultural centre, which also hosted handicraft workshops, has been taken over for other functions and no alternative space has been provided. The lack of organized, available space for the exercise of such forms of cultural expression may hinder their regular practice and transmission, limits the visibility and awareness of those forms of expression and certainly makes access to such activities more difficult. 52. Having heard from numerous interlocutors about the importance for Tuvaluans of their cultural identities and of their sense of pride in local and ancestral cultural expressions, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to dedicate more attention to the availability of safe and appropriate spaces for their expression. This should include the availability of suitable physical infrastructure. All efforts in this direction could contribute to improving the conditions for everyone to freely take part in the cultural life of their choice. 53. She also invites the Government to consider becoming a party to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The Convention not only provides a strong framework to support the diversity of cultural expressions internally, but it is also an important instrument for promoting and protecting such diversity internationally and fostering understanding and mutual acknowledgement between States parties. Accordingly, becoming a party to the Convention could provide important opportunities and networks for Tuvaluans to share their unique cultures with the rest of the world. 54. In terms of access to virtual spaces for the exercise of cultural rights, the Special Rapporteur noted that Internet access was largely limited to the capital, was of poor quality and was quite expensive. Increasing Tuvaluans’ access to virtual spaces would afford important new opportunities for exercising cultural rights and for developing global and local connections. In addition, social media could be an important channel for public and civil society actors to increase the reach of awareness-raising campaigns about human rights, including cultural rights. 55. While she understands that there may be important connectivity challenges and high costs linked to the development of broader and more reliable Internet access across the country, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to continue its efforts to do so. In this regard, she also recalls that virtual spaces, like any other public spaces, should be governed by human rights principles, subject to the same regime of limitations recognized in international human rights law for distinctive rights and be accessible to all without discrimination. Public powers, to fulfil their human rights obligations, may need to take measures to ensure access to and participation in cyberspace for all. The Special Rapporteur 16 12 A/74/255.

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