A/HRC/37/14 107. The State of Palestine praised Zambia for its efforts with regard to childhood development and education and the progress it had made with the Social Cash Transfer Programme. The undernourishment of children and women, particularly pregnant and breastfeeding women, was of concern. 108. The Sudan commended Zambia for the steps it had taken to promote and protect human rights, particularly the enactment of many laws, such as the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2012, the Higher Education Act of 2013 and the Gender Equity and Equality Act of 2015. 109. Sweden acknowledged the continued work of the Government of Zambia to fulfil its obligations with regard to human rights, and encouraged it to make further efforts. 110. Switzerland welcomed the efforts made in the area of education. However, it recalled that the Committee on the Rights of the Child had expressed concern about the fact that the principle of non-discrimination was not properly applied to children belonging to the most vulnerable groups in Zambia. 111. Timor-Leste welcomed the efforts made by Zambia to address conditions in its prison and detention centres, including by building new correctional centres. It noted with appreciation the efforts made to promote women’s empowerment. 112. Togo welcomed the policies to facilitate access to health care and to increase access to quality education. Togo welcomed the steps that had been taken to improve the functioning of the labour market, with particular emphasis on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. 113. Tunisia welcomed the amendments to the Constitution concerning the prohibition of discrimination. It encouraged Zambia to spread the culture of human rights through its Seventh National Development Plan (2017–2020), which would guarantee better economic and social rights. 114. Uganda noted the absence of a national stakeholder coordination mechanism for the effective implementation of recommendations. It urged Zambia to prioritize the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in order to address poverty. 115. Ukraine noted that the process of amending the Constitution was incomplete, given the failure to adopt a new Bill of Rights by national referendum in 2016. It was concerned at the prosecution of persons who had been exercising their rights to freedom of assembly and expression before and after the elections in 2016. 116. The United Kingdom looked forward to further progress in improving the human rights record following the challenges Zambia had faced around the election in 2016. The United Kingdom urged Zambia to adopt a merit-based selection process for national candidates for United Nations treaty body elections and to review its legislation establishing the minimum age for marriage. 117. The United States expressed concern about the political environment since the elections in August 2016, including the restrictions on the rights to freedom of speech and of assembly and the deliberate misapplication of the Public Order Act to block gatherings by opposition parties. 118. Uruguay welcomed the initiatives that had been taken in relation to the rights of the child, including the prohibition of corporal punishment in all spheres, and the creation of the Commission for Gender Equity and Equality. The fact that discrimination and violence against women persisted was partly due to inconsistencies in the legal framework. 119. The Central African Republic welcomed the delegation of Zambia and praised its efforts to implement the recommendations accepted during the previous review. It called on the international community to support those efforts. 120. The delegation of Zambia stated that the Law Development Commission, in consultation with the Government, had developed the draft children’s code. Once enacted, the code would domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child and relevant regional instruments. In 2015, several policies had been adopted, including the National Child Policy, to improve the welfare of children. 10