A/HRC/21/13 with special procedures. It saluted Algeria’s efforts towards combating terrorism. It noted the institutional, social and economic reforms and the ratification of international instruments. It made a recommendation. 81. France welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency (2011) but noted with concern the persistent restrictions on the enjoyment of fundamental rights It saluted the death penalty moratorium. France deplored that a large number of enforced disappearances has not yet been resolved. It made recommendations. 82. Chad noted Algeria’s human rights progress since the first review as well as its cooperation with OHCHR, treaty bodies and special procedures. It made a recommendation. 83. In his response to the second round of statements from delegations, the Minister addressed the concerns voiced about the issue of disappeared persons, emphasizing the fact that if the Algerian people had to choose there and then between security and the broadest possible freedom to hold public demonstrations, they would choose security because they knew the price of insecurity. The demonstrations held to date had been well handled by the security forces. They had fulfilled their role, and if there had been any injuries, they had been among their ranks. The security forces had been strictly instructed not to resort to the use of force or to carry weapons or tear gas grenades. Although Algeria was completely in favour of the full enjoyment of freedoms, vigilance was still called for as long as the chapter on terrorism had still not been definitively closed. Vigilance was essential in the eyes of the Algerian people, who had had to confront terrorism alone in the face of the international community’s indifference and lack of understanding. 84. Returning to the issue of freedom of association, he referred once more to Act No. 12-06, the Associations Act, of January 2012, noting that it was modelled in keeping with article 41 of the Constitution, which guaranteed freedom of association and freedom of assembly. At the time the Act was made law, over 90,000 associations had been counted in the country, while 15 years earlier there had not been so many. While some had voiced concerns about reports of restrictions on the establishment of associations, the situation needed to be viewed in context. 85. With regard to the foreign funding of associations, the Associations Act did not prohibit such funding; on the contrary, it encouraged partnerships, while demanding transparency as a precautionary measure required because the State must ensure the security of its citizens. The civil society movement was now a source of pride in Algeria, as it indicated the progress made in the long march towards democracy on which the country had embarked. 86. On the subject of children, the Minister referred to the 2008–2015 national plan for children which aimed to protect them from violence and illegal employment. In addition to the current legislation to protect children, which included penalties up to imprisonment for life, support measures had been put in place, including a monitoring strategy coordinated by an inter-agency committee. 87. As far as children’s education was concerned, school attendance had risen to record rates at all levels. School attendance for children in rural areas — a reference point for the Millennium Development Goals — had in some aspects already reached the targets in Algeria, in particular in respect of Goal No. 4 and the attendance rate, and also the proportion of female students at each level. 88. As for regional disparities, since gaining independence, Algeria had pursued regional balance and addressed potential imbalances generated by geographical constraints in all its development programmes, including the land management plan for up to 2025 and the development programme for the high plateaux and the Sahara region. GE.12-14978 11