- 132 - 79. In the light of the foregoing, the Committee recommends that the Government of Panama should: (i) Accelerate the studies being undertaken with a view to the establishment of a national social housing plan that takes account of the needs of all communities, defines the objectives to be achieved, designates those to be responsible for the plan, sets a five-year timetable and determines and makes use of the resources available. The work that is currently being carried out by the Inter-Ocean Regional Authority is a sound starting-point in this regard; (ii) Speed up the legislative process for the demarcation of the indigenous territory (comarca) of the Ngöbe-Buglé people in the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí and Veraguas and suspend mining operations pending consultation with the populations concerned; (iii) Put an end to the government practice of expulsion, both in the indigenous areas and throughout the country, in accordance with article 11 of the Covenant and the Committee’s General Comment No. 4 (1991); (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) Consider ratifying ILO Convention No. 169 (1989), as requested by the indigenous communities; Support the bill which has already been submitted and which stipulates that low-income dwellings should not be less than 36 or 42 square metres in area; Accord priority to housing rehabilitation and construction programmes for social groups which have been living for several years in obviously unacceptable conditions and are demanding decent housing. This applies to several buildings in El Chorrillo district which were destroyed during the United States invasion, and to houses that have been condemned in Colón and in the capital; Take account of the demands of groups that have been resettled in dwellings whose construction does not meet the minimum safety and health standards; Institutionalize its policy of consultation by establishing permanent bodies for consultation on policies, activities and programmes, with representation of the non-governmental organizations which promote and uphold the right to housing and the "Pobladores" organizations, which experience the problem directly; Accelerate and extend the policy of regularizing property ownership, by making available more financial and human resources for programmes in this area and by considering administrative measures to facilitate them;

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