A/HRC/34/9 national report had been shared with NGOs and their feedback had been reflected in the final report. 7. Lithuania had taken steps to ensure the effective participation of NGOs in decisionmaking processes in the area of human rights. The newly established NGO Council had been delegated to assist in achieving that objective. In 2013, the parliament had adopted a law on NGOs with the aim of building a favourable environment for civil society organizations and ensuring appropriate conditions for their activities. Since 2014, the NGO Council, an advisory body consisting of representatives of State institutions and NGOs, had been active in ensuring the engagement of civil society representatives in developing and implementing policies relating to their activities. 8. There had been a number of positive developments since the first review, in 2011. In 2015, the Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office had applied for accreditation under the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles). Since 2014, the Office had been acting as a national preventive mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The new government Department of National Minorities had started its activities in 2015 and was responsible for creating the conditions for the inclusive participation of members of national minorities in the social, political and cultural life of the country. 9. Lithuania had actively implemented its gender equality policy to combat discrimination against women and had increased women’s participation in all levels of governance. Gender equality had been also a priority issue in foreign policy. The President of Lithuania had taken a lead among world leaders by personally engaging in the strengthening of the protection and promotion of women’s rights. In September 2016, she had chaired a high-level discussion during the seventy-first session of the United Nations General Assembly on the economic cost of violence against women, at which several States Members of the United Nations had made broad commitments to eliminate violence against women. Equal rights and equal opportunities for every individual had been one of the principal priorities of the National Programme on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men 2012-2016. The fourth such programme had been approved in 2015. 10. The Roma community continued to be the focus of the State policy on national minorities, given that the Roma remained one of the most socially disadvantaged groups. Four successive programmes for the integration of Roma into society, including the 20162019 municipal programme for the integration of the Roma living in the Kirtimai settlement in Vilnius, had been or were still being implemented to address the social exclusion, education and health problems of the Roma, to preserve their culture and traditions and to promote tolerance in society. 11. Furthermore, in 2015, the Government had approved the Inter-institutional Action Plan on Non-Discrimination for 2015-2020 in order to reduce discrimination, ensure equal opportunities, raise awareness and promote tolerance. The Baltic Pride Parade 2016, organized by NGOs working on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights, had been a positive development. Unlike in previous years, the Parade had been organized without any obstacles, had attracted broad attention and had been attended by public officials and Members of the Seimas. In the Human Rights Council, Lithuania had supported the establishment of the mandate of the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2016, the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, together with the National Equality and Diversity Forum, had for the third time presented the National Equality and Diversity Awards to people and organizations that had excelled in promoting equality and nondiscrimination. The awards marked an important milestone in awareness-raising and 4