A/HRC/27/14 8. Ethiopia had adopted the first National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP). A Ministerial Steering Committee had been established for the formulation and implementation of the Plan, with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission monitoring and evaluating its implementation. Mechanisms had been put in place for the participation of civil society. 9. The Proclamation on Charities and Societies ensured the realization of the right to freedom of association and provided an environment conducive to the growth and development of charities and societies. The Proclamation ensured accountability through predictability and transparency. It had created favourable conditions for the establishment and growth of grass-roots advocacy, and humanitarian and developmental civil society groups that could thrive and serve their members and society at large. 10. The Proclamation required civil society organizations to allot 70 per cent of their budget for programme activities and the remaining portion for overhead costs. Agreements had also been signed with foreign civil society groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 11. Ethiopia had zero tolerance for torture and inhuman, degrading or other cruel treatment,, which were prohibited by the Constitution. Measures, including the Prison Administration Proclamation, were in place to protect the rights of persons deprived of their liberty. 12. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission monitored prison conditions and had provided capacity-building training to police and prison officers. Legal and policy measures had been taken on the rights of persons to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Religious groups had established an interreligious council to maintain and advance interreligious tolerance. 13. Ethiopia recognized the imperatives of respecting human rights while countering terrorism. Proclamations, consistent with international human rights obligations, had been promulgated on anti-terrorism and anti-money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. The Anti-Terrorism Proclamation would not be used to silence opposition. 14. Freedom of expression continued to thrive. Ethiopians freely advocated their views either in support of or in criticism of government policies and measures. The Freedom of Mass Media and Access to Information Proclamation had been implemented in accordance with relevant constitutional guarantees. A national task force, spearheaded by the institution of the Ombudsman, had been established to oversee the effective implementation of access to information provisions of the Proclamation. 15. The delegation reported on the various measures taken to improve the welfare of children and the measures taken to promote and protect the rights of women and ensure their equal participation in political affairs, economic and social empowerment, ownership of property, inheritance of and rights over resources, as well as to combat harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation (FGM), and child, early and forced marriage. 16. Ethiopia was committed to implementing effectively the laws and policy frameworks for promoting the human rights of persons with disabilities by integrating disability as a cross-cutting sector of development. 17. Ethiopia had also initiated the process of ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW) and had been working with host countries to advance the rights and interests of Ethiopian nationals abroad. It had intensified its efforts for the protection of the rights of migrants, with a special emphasis on migrant women and children. A national task force, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, had been established for that purpose. 4