CRC/C/15/Add.27 page 4 international instruments such as "The Beijing Rules", the Riyadh Guidelines and the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty. 14. The Committee is concerned that, in spite of the fact that the educational system is undergoing a considerable process of reform, the problems of a low rate of access to and retention in school, as well as a high level of school drop-out, remain. Further action 15. The Committee notes that, during the initial dialogue with the State party, matters relating to basic health and special protection measures were not addressed. The Committee recommends that the additional report requested of the State party cover these issues. In addition, the Committee wishes to be informed of the progress achieved with regard to the establishment of a national coordinating mechanism to monitor the rights of the child and of the participation of various bodies involved in promoting and protecting children’s rights, including non-governmental organizations, in such monitoring activities. The Committee would also wish to be informed of the measures taken to ensure that the provisions of the Convention, particularly its articles 3, 12 and 21, are fully taken into consideration, including in the determination and application of legislation and procedures pertaining to the matter of adoption. In this connection, the Committee wishes to encourage the Government of Paraguay to consider ratifying the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption of 1993 and concluding bilateral agreements with the countries of prospective adoptive parents. 16. The Committee notes the statement contained in paragraph 160 of the State party report which indicates the importance the Government of Paraguay attaches to the Committee’s advice on measures to be taken to improve the implementation of the rights of the child, and welcomes the State party’s commitment to cooperating with the Committee and other United Nations bodies and agencies with a view to promoting and protecting the rights of the child. In this connection, the Committee takes further note of the technical cooperation currently provided to the Government of Paraguay through a joint programme supported by the Centre for Human Rights and the United Nations Development Programme. The Committee recommends that the concerns raised by the Committee with regard to the realization of the rights of the child should be incorporated within the activities organized under this joint programme. -----