A/HRC/29/11 62. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela welcomed the ratification of ICPPED and CRPD, and the launch of the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights in 2012 followed by the Plan of Action in 2014. 63. While appreciating the support given to the Human Rights Defender and the implementation of the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights, Albania encouraged Armenia to increase the resources allocated to all its mechanisms for the protection of human rights. 64. Algeria welcomed the adoption of the Human Rights Action Plan and the strengthening of the legal framework in the area of human rights. It encouraged Armenia to pursue the measures taken to promote the enjoyment of education and culture by national minorities. 65. Angola commended Armenia for the establishment of the 2012‒2016 Strategic Programme for Legal and Judicial Reforms and welcomed the initiatives undertaken to ensure gender equality, including the drafting of the Gender Policy Strategic Programme and Action Plan. 66. Argentina welcomed the ratification of ICPPED and CRPD and noted the progress made under the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Protection of Human Rights. However, it noted that discrimination against women and LGBT persons persisted. 67. Australia requested a written update on the implementation of the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights. It welcomed the progress in implementing the Convention against Torture and the adoption of the law on gender equality. However, Australia remained concerned about gender-based discrimination and the failure to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. 68. Austria remained concerned about the persistence of gender-based discrimination and discrimination against persons with disabilities and LGBT persons. It also expressed concern that effective enjoyment of the right to education was still not guaranteed for all children. 69. Azerbaijan rejected the references to “Nagorno-Karabakh” in the national report of Armenia, emphasizing that, according to General Assembly resolution 62/243, entitled “The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, references to “Nagorno-Karabakh” should read as “the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan”. 70. Armenia stated that the Government condemned all forms of discrimination, and the relevant national legislation included its criminalization. All the national programmes adopted by Armenia in the field of human rights were the basic components of the national anti-discrimination policy, the main goal of which was to ensure the effective implementation of relevant national legislation and the incorporation of relevant international obligations in national policies. Armenia had signed or ratified most of the United Nations and regional instruments relating to equality. It provided additional details of the plans and strategies relating to non-discrimination and highlighted relevant actions that had been taken, including the submission of its latest periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the inclusion of a plan for the adoption of a separate law on discrimination within the Plan of Action for the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights. 71. Referring to some specific groups, Armenia noted that there were no restrictions on access to public services for sexual minorities. Concerned by the fact that representatives of some women’s NGOs had been intimidated on social media, the Women’s Council, which was chaired by the Prime Minister, had advocated an end to such behaviour and urged the law enforcement bodies to be more vigilant in the prevention and punishment of such cases. A number of legal and institutional measures had been taken to strengthen the protection of 9