A/HRC/39/3 activities permitted donors to carry out charity activity individually or through the establishment of charity foundations. 67. A new law on freedom of religion and religious organizations had been adopted in 2016 to define the requirement for the establishment and functioning of religious communities and organizations. The law defined instances when an organization could be closed by a court decision. Eight new religious organizations had been registered since 2016. No complaints had been registered on the violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief. 68. Belgium welcomed the establishment of the Commissioner for Human Rights. It expressed concern about the persistence of gender violence and about conditions in detention facilities, particularly the use of torture. It emphasized that civil society played an important role in ensuring human rights. 69. Brazil commended Turkmenistan for the adoption in 2016 of the Constitution with strengthened provisions on human rights, the establishment of the position of the Commissioner for Human Rights and the adoption of national action plans on human rights, on gender equality and on combating human trafficking. It encouraged Turkmenistan to align its law on citizenship with international standards on statelessness. 70. Bulgaria acknowledged the adoption of the new Constitution and national action plans on human rights, on gender equality and on combating human trafficking. It encouraged Turkmenistan to effectively implement new policies and to ensure independence of the newly established Commissioner for Human Rights. 71. Burundi welcomed measures taken by Turkmenistan to improve the human rights situation in the country, including by establishing the Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting the National Action Plan on Human Rights. It also welcomed efforts to ensure the full realization of the rights of persons with disabilities, including in access to employment and to education. 72. Canada encouraged Turkmenistan to strengthen protections for civil society and women and to combat enforced disappearances. It expressed concern about difficulties faced by civil society in operating effectively due to legal restrictions. 73. Chile noted the establishment of the Office of the Ombudsperson, the adoption in 2016 of a new Constitution and the National Action Plan on Gender Equality. With reference to a recommendation it had made in the previous cycle, Chile was concerned at the lack of progress in ensuring the right to freedom of expression. 74. China noted that Turkmenistan was committed to the achievement of sustainable development and the improvement of the living standards of its people. Turkmenistan had also made progress in the fields of the rule of law, protecting the rights of women and children and persons with disabilities and combating trafficking in human beings. 75. Cuba noted the efforts of Turkmenistan in strengthening its democratic principles and legal framework, developing civil society and ensuring the realization of economic and social rights. 76. Czechia appreciated the adoption of the National Action Plan on Gender Equality for the period 2015–2020, the National Action Plan on Human Rights for the period 2016– 2020 and the Ombudsperson Act. It encouraged Turkmenistan to translate those Plans into concrete improvements in practice. 77. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea noted the accession by Turkmenistan to additional international instruments during the reporting period and measures it had taken to strengthen its human rights legal framework and institutional capacity and to improve the quality of life and education. 78. Denmark noted that Turkmenistan had accepted a recommendation to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture during the second universal periodic review and stressed that the dialogue with the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture remained highly valuable to all States working to prevent torture and ill-treatment. 8