1. With regard to the information provided in the report on the enactment of the Children and Adolescents Code (1998) and other related legislation, please provide information on the steps taken, including the allocation of financial and human resources, especially the provision of adequate professional staff, to guarantee the full implementation of this legislation.

2. Regarding the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.11, para.7) concerning the need to strengthen coordination of the different Governmental institutions working on the implementation of the Convention, please provide information on the relationship between the National Children's Trust (PANI), the Children's Ombudsman and the coordination instances created within the new Integral Protection National System, including the National Council on Children and Adolescents.

3. In light of the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.11, para.12) concerning the need to develop statistics and indicators for the monitoring of the implementation of the Convention, please indicate whether they have been developed and if disaggregated data has been collected concerning the status of the most vulnerable groups of children, such as children with disabilities, children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, child victims of abuse and exploitation, children belonging to single-parent families, children of immigrant families, refugee children and children belonging to indigenous communities. Please indicate difficulties encountered in the collection and use of these data and indicators for the design of policies and programmes for the effective implementation of the Convention.

4. With regard to the implementation of article 4 of the Convention, and in view of the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.11, para. 13), please provide information on the implementation of the National Plan of Action for Children and Youth, and how this Plan is integrated within the current National Development Plan. In addition, please also indicate whether an evaluation of the impact of the above mentioned plans exists, and whether new plans have been envisaged after the year 2000. Please indicate whether the State party has conducted an evaluation of the impact of the economic reforms on children and what measures are being taken to allocate the maximum extent of available resources for children.

5. In light of the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.11, para.16) and in view of the information provided in the report (paras. 38-50), please provide further information on measures taken to increase awareness on the Convention among government officials, especially in relation to the implementation of the Children and Adolescent Code (1998) and other related legislation. In this regard, please provide information on measures taken to increase awareness on the Convention among indigenous communities and the Afro-Costa-Rican minority.

6. Regarding the Committee's recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.11, paras. 13 and 16) please provide information on progress achieved regarding measures taken to reduce gender discrimination. Please also provide further information on measures taken against the discrimination of vulnerable groups of children (e.g., children with disabilities, children from Nicaraguan migrant families, children living and/or working in the streets, children belonging to indigenous and Afro-Costa-Rican communities). Please also provide further information on measures taken to reduce regional disparities, especially concerning access to health and social services as well as to education.

7. In view of the Committee's recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.11, paras. 13), please provide information on progress achieved on the implementation of specific measures taken to ensure that the principles of the "best interests of the child" (article 3) and "respect for the views of the child" (article 12) are reflected in legislation as well as in actions taken by social welfare institutions, courts of law and administrative authorities. Please also provide some examples of implementation of these principles by courts and/or administrative bodies. Please explain measures taken to promote that the effective guarantees of these rights within the family environment.

9. Please provide updated information on measures taken regarding children deprived of a family environment, such as orphans and abandoned children. Please also indicate how these children's situation is protected by the Family Code. Please also provide additional information on the use of alternative care measures, such as foster care and adoption, for children deprived of a family environment.

10. In light of the Committee's recommendation (CRC/C/15/Add.11, paras. 9 and 16) and of the information contained in the report (paras. 129-131), please provide further information on specific measures being introduced to combat and prevent child abuse, including domestic violence and sexual abuse within the family. Please also provide information on the causes and scope of this social phenomenon.

11. In light of the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add. 11, para. 13), please provide further information on specific measures taken or planned, particularly in rural and marginal urban areas as well as among indigenous and Afro-Costa-Rican communities, to ensure access to basic services such as clean drinking-water and sanitation and to reduce infant, child and maternal mortality.

12. With regard to the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add. 11, para. 16), concerning adolescent health issues, please provide further information on whether special programmes on reproductive health have been established for adolescents in order to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancies. In addition, please indicate measure taken or envisaged to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among children and adolescents. Please provide further information on existing measures taken to address children's mental health and psychological problems.

13. In view of the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.13), please provide further information on the impact and implementation of the National Children's Trust (PANI's) special programme for the protection of the rights of children with disabilities.

14. In light of article 27 of the Convention and of the Committee's recommendation (see CRC/C/15/Add.11, para. 13), please provide further information on whether the Family Assistance Act and the Family Allowance Fund (FODESAF) is still operational, or whether new policies and programmes have been established to improve the situation of children belonging to poor families (paras. 99-107 of the report).

15. In view of the information provided in the report (paras. 61-78), please provide further information on the measures taken to improve school attendance rates and to reduce the high drop-out rates between primary and secondary school. Please also provide information on achievements of the Basic Education Project undertaken in cooperation with the World Bank.

16. With regard to the Committee's recommendation on the juvenile justice system (CRC/C/15/Add.11, para. 15) and in view of the enactment of the Juvenile Criminal Justice Act (1996), please provide further information on the measures taken to overcome the limitations described in the report (see para. 165 of the report) in the implementation of this legislation. In particular, please provide further information on the number of existing specialized centres for children in conflict with the law as well as on measures taken to increase the number of juvenile courts and to strengthen training programmes for professionals working in the juvenile justice system.

17. Please provide further details on the implementation and the impact of the activities undertaken in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the ILO's International Programme for the Eradication of Child Labour (IPEC). Additionally, please provide further information on whether the State party has implemented policies and programmes for the children living and/or working on the streets. Please also indicate whether the State party has envisaged ratifying the 1999 ILO Convention 182 Concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (1999).

18. Regarding the information in the report (paras. 129-130), please provide further information on concrete measures to prevent and eradicate the increasing abuse of alcohol and the use and sale of drugs by children. Please indicate measures taken to assist these children in their physical and psychological rehabilitation.

19. With regard to information provided in the report (paras. 135-143), please provide further information on the enforcement of the new legislation against sexual exploitation of children (Law 7899). Please also provide information the scope of the social phenomenon of sexual exploitation of children and sex tourism.

20. In light of article 30 of the Convention, please provide information on special measures taken for the protection of children belonging to the indigenous and to the Afro-Costa-Rican minorities as well as for children from Nicaraguan migrant families.