A/HRC/29/11
members of national minorities since the first UPR and the budget allocated to national
minorities had been doubled since 2012.
72.
Armenia listed some of the measures that had been taken for members of national
minorities that lacked their own kin state, including the publishing and provision of free
school textbooks in their languages. The incorporation of those minorities was seen as a
cultural asset for Armenia. The preservation and development of the culture of national
minorities was a priority and all historical and architectural monuments, cultural and
religious buildings were under State protection, regardless of their ethnic or religious
associations.
73.
Armenia cooperated closely with the European Commission against Racism and
Intolerance. The delegation provided details of the findings of the Commission’s latest
monitoring report.
74.
A suitable legislative framework had been established to ensure the appropriate
conditions for religious diversity. As of 2014, some 66 religious organizations were
registered, of which 9 belonged to national minorities.
75.
Managing migration was one of the priorities of the Government of Armenia. The
2014 action plan on migration included activities to harmonize national legislation with
international standards. The 2014 amendments to the Criminal Code had made organizing
illegal immigration a criminal offence. Under the new anti-trafficking law, victims of
human trafficking could be granted a residence permit.
76.
The asylum system was fully functional and over 16,000 refugees from Syria had
arrived in recent years. A new draft law on asylum had recently been developed, with the
support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and
submitted to the Government.
77.
Belarus noted with satisfaction the legislative measures taken by Armenia since the
first UPR. In particular, it noted legislation on gender equality. It welcomed the attention
given to the most vulnerable groups in the National Strategy for the Protection of Human
Rights.
78.
While welcoming the ratification of ICPPED and CRPD, Belgium stated that there
was still a lot to do in terms of human rights, including violence against women and
children and abuses committed by police forces.
79.
Benin welcomed the efforts of Armenia towards the implementation of the
recommendations from the first UPR and its ratification of ICPPED and CRPD.
80.
Serbia applauded Armenia for the adoption of the National Strategy and Action Plan
for the Protection of Human Rights and considered that Armenia had taken decisive steps to
combat domestic violence.
81.
Brazil commended Armenia for implementing its first cycle recommendations. It
was concerned about violence against women and urged Armenia to protect LGBTI
persons. It underlined the importance of aligning the definition of torture with international
standards, ensuring adequate resources for its national prevention mechanism, and
promoting awareness-raising on HIV/AIDS.
82.
Bulgaria appreciated the approval of the Strategic Programme for Legal and Judicial
Reforms and the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Protection of Human Rights,
and welcomed policies and programmes on gender, gender-based violence and children. It
encouraged Armenia to identify children in vulnerable situations.
83.
Canada enquired about the measures undertaken to implement its recommendations
from 2010 on freedom of opinion and expression and investigative journalism. It welcomed
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