A/65/295 yet been able to honour those invitations, the Special Rapporteur hopes that he will be able to do so in the near future. 66. In the following paragraphs, the Special Rapporteur would like to inform the General Assembly of the visits carried out to the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, as well as his forthcoming visit to the Plurinational State of Bolivia. A. Mission to the United Arab Emirates 67. The Special Rapporteur visited the United Arab Emirates from 4 to 8 October 2009 at the invitation of the Government. He would like to express his sincere gratitude to the Government for its cooperation and openness throughout the visit. The report on the visit was submitted to the Human Rights Council at its fourteenth session (A/HRC/14/43/Add.3). 68. At the end of his visit, the Special Rapporteur concluded that the United Arab Emirates is a unique country where non-nationals represent the vast majority of the population and where nationals are a minority in their own country. In recent decades, the influx of foreign workers, which has significantly contributed to the building of the country, has also created tremendous challenges for the people of the United Arab Emirates, in terms of national identity, social integration and capacity for absorption. 69. While the Government has taken commendable initiatives in recent years to address some of the numerous challenges, the Special Rapporteur recalled that much remains to be done in terms of legislation, policies and their effective implementation, as well as in terms of human rights education. 70. In his report, the Special Rapporteur raised issues relating to the definition of national identity for the United Arab Emirates and the granting of citizenship; the living and working conditions of construction and domestic workers; the vulnerable situation of stateless persons; human trafficking; educational policy; and the legal and institutional human rights framework to fight racism. For each set of issues, he made specific recommendations. 71. For instance, the Special Rapporteur recommended the holding of a public debate on the question of the definition of national identity. He also recommended that valid citizenship applications by individuals who have lawfully lived in the country for a certain period of time be reviewed and processed by the authorities in a non-discriminatory manner. In the context of the global economic crisis, the Special Rapporteur also urged the Government to take necessary steps, including legislative ones, to address issues relating to, inter alia, the severe risk of exploitation of unskilled foreign workers under the sponsorship system; the confiscation of their passports; the prohibition to constitute trade unions; and their contracted debts with labour recruitment agencies. In regard to the situation of stateless individuals, the Special Rapporteur recommended that priority be given to finding a definitive and equitable solution to ensure that they have adequate access to health, education, social services and employment, and that they receive non-discriminatory treatment with regard to administrative procedures and the administration of justice. The question of education was also raised, and the Special Rapporteur recommended that the Government reconsider its present educational 16 10-48481