A/HRC/13/2 Page 6 Department of Religious Affairs entrusted with liaising between government and religious institutions. The Proclamation not only guarantees freedom of religion but also reaffirms that Eritrea is a secular State with a clear separation of religion and state. 22. The delegation indicated that Eritrea remained actively engaged with OHCHR, the treaty bodies and special procedures of the Human Rights Council. Pursuant to its treaty commitments, Eritrea has submitted its periodic reports on the implementation of CRC and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to the respective committees. Additional information has also been provided to the committees. 23. Upon liberation, Eritrea inherited a devastated economy and infrastructure, dysfunctional institutions and an empty treasury. Nevertheless, Eritrea has succeeded in building a strong and functional government; defending its independence and sovereignty; building a cohesive and harmonious and united people; laying the foundation for rapid future social, economic, political and cultural development of the country; investing heavily in the social sector and economic infrastructure; and establishing and enacting the necessary legal infrastructure to govern virtually all spheres of life by adopting, with necessary amendments, a body of transitional codified laws. In addition, Eritrea has acceded to most of the core international human rights instruments. National codes based on the Eritrean Constitution have been drafted and are in the final stage of editing and translation into local languages. 24. In carrying out its development programmes, Eritrea has adopted a number of best practices, including effective community-based social protection programmes. In recognition of the equality of its ethnic communities, Eritrea, despite its limited resources, broadcasts radio programmes in nine local languages and television programmes in three local languages. The print media operate in three languages. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been translated into local languages and will be published shortly. Similarly, CRC has been published in six Eritrean languages. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 25. During the interactive dialogue, 39 delegations made statements. A number of delegations commended Eritrea for its participation in the universal periodic review and the dialogue with the Human Rights Council. Statements were also made thanking Eritrea for the submission of its national report but regretting its very late submission. Recommendations made during the interactive dialogue are to be found in section II of the present report. 26. Algeria recalled that the universal periodic review was not a place for confrontations but rather a way to assess progress and challenges. Therefore, Algeria hoped that the two-week interactive dialogue would be constructive and help move forward the cause. Algeria encouraged Eritrea to establish a national human rights institution in conformity with the Paris Principles. It congratulated Eritrea for having adhered to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women without reservations and welcomed the fact that 22 per cent of the members of Parliament are women. Algeria also noted the existence of plans and programmes for children. Algeria welcomed efforts made by Eritrea to eradicate female genital mutilation. Algeria added that Eritrea was affected by severe drought, which prevents its population from enjoying its right to food. Algeria made several recommendations.