A/HRC/23/34/Add.2 taking any measures concerning these buildings.10 The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to respond positively to such requests. More generally, she draws the attention of the Trust and of the Government to her thematic report on the right of access to and enjoyment of cultural heritage (A/HRC/17/38), which she believes could be helpful in all the discussions mentioned in this section. The National Cultural Foundation 24. The National Cultural Foundation was created in 2001 by the Government, with the aim of establishing a statutory body that could respond more efficiently to the needs of the cultural sector than could the Government itself. The mandate of the Foundation is to stimulate and facilitate the development of dance, music, literature, drama, fine arts and culture generally; develop, maintain and manage theatres, libraries and other cultural facilities and equipment provided by the Government; organize cultural festivals; and do anything necessary or desirable to assist persons interested in developing cultural expression. 11 25. Although the Government had pledged to provide the Foundation with financial, administrative and technical support necessary to enable it to function as the lead institution in the cultural field, the Foundation has been dormant since 2010. The Special Rapporteur appreciates the Government’s efforts to revive the Foundation and to overcome financial and administrative constraints in this regard. She stresses again the importance of such a body for local artists and people involved in the promotion and safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage of the country. She suggests that the terms of reference of the Foundation be developed following the arm’s length principle, where independent experts, in particular peers, are mandated for a limited time period to allocate funds and grants. This would provide greater guarantees for the respect of the right to freedom of artistic expression. B. International framework 26. The Special Rapporteur notes with appreciation that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has ratified the main United Nations instruments relevant to the implementation of cultural rights, with no reservation, as well as a number of relevant United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conventions. She is surprised, however, that the country has not ratified the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights and its Protocol on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; during her visit, the Special Rapporteur was not able to clarify the reasons for this situation. 27. Noting that the country has never accepted any facultative individual complaint procedure attached to United Nations human rights instruments, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government, as a first step, to ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 28. The Special Rapporteur understands the difficulties encountered by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in reporting to treaty bodies, due to a lack of financial and human resources. However, she is pleased to learn about efforts undertaken to enter into dialogue with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Noting that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has never submitted its initial report to the Committee on 10 11 St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Trust, Policy statement and action plan 2009-2012. See Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture, at http://www.tourism.gov.vc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194&Itemid=133. 7