Chapter 1 – Report of the Policy, Law and Complaints Group (v) With regard to the issue of adoption, it was clarified at the meeting that citizenship was not automatically conferred on non-citizen children upon adoption by citizens of Malaysia. It was a privilege conferred by the Government on the individual; (vi) All participants agreed that citizenship was not an automatic conferment and this should be the foundation in interpreting obligations arising from the treaties. All input has been submitted to MWFCD to assist them in their study concerning these issues. 3. INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS (ICESCR) Since its inception, the Commission has been consistent in its call to the Government to accede to the remaining international human rights instruments, including the ICESCR. To intensify this effort, the Commission had organised two separate Round-Table Discussions (RTDs) on the ICESCR with NGOs and Government agencies on 27 March and 22 August 2013 in Kuala Lumpur respectively. In an effort to further understand ICESCR issues from the lenses of the communities in Sabah and Sarawak, the Commission conducted similar RTDs involving relevant stakeholders, Government agencies and academicians at Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The RTD in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, was held on 13 May 2015 and various pertinent issues were highlighted during the discussion, summarized as follows: (i) (ii) The Government should convey to the Commission the official reason for its decision not to ratify/accede to the ICESCR; There are several local by-laws which are inconsistent with the Articles enshrined in the ICESCR. Unfriendly facilities, for instance, in Kota Kinabalu have disrupted the comfort and convenience of persons with disabilities. Therefore, it was suggested that all relevant stakeholders introduce specific by-laws and fully enforce them; (iii) The unemployment rates have gradually increased and the lack of job opportunities for youngsters in Sabah have indirectly contributed to poverty; (iv) With regard to poverty, the participants also stressed that poverty was impeding Sabahans’/ The presence of foreigners and illegal immigrants who have outnumbered the Sabahan populance had affected the economic and social landscape of Sabah 50 BOOK-ANR2016-01-latest.indb 50 08/04/2016 3:32 PM