A/HRC/21/16 to establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights and to progressively improve the quality of life for its people and to build a united democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place among the community of nations. 9. The Constitution created statutory institutions, such as the Commission for Gender Equality, the Human Rights Commission, and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, to assist in ensuring the realization of those and other rights. Legislation had also been passed to combat discrimination, and to give citizens access to equality courts in the event of suffering such discrimination. 10. Even in the midst of bitter struggle, the liberation movement of South Africa developed moral values of human compassion and solidarity far beyond the narrow confines of its opposition to the apartheid social system. It represented something good, not just something better than apartheid. It asserted the humanness of the human spirit–the search for societies at peace within and among themselves. 11. Naturally, over time, the internalization, grasp and general understanding of the UPR process and its requirements had significantly improved from the State’ initial experience and interaction with the Working Group on 15 April 2008, at its first session. 12. South Africa was grateful that the South African civil society, in its broad formations as stakeholders active in the human rights sector, had also found the process useful and had lodged their own independent reports, reflecting their own experiences of human rights enjoyment in the country. 13. South Africa acknowledged and appreciated the recommendations generated for the State during the first session of the Working Group for their consideration for implementation. 14. All efforts of Government continued to be aimed at redressing the inequalities, imbalances and historical injustices, at restoring social justice to the people and at building a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society. 15. While the apartheid regime provided for the well-being of a mere 5 million White people, the new democratic Government was immediately faced with the mammoth task of providing for the well-being of the total population—in excess of 40 million people. The implication of that task entailed, among others, ensuring the progressive realization to food security, access to health services, quality education, social security, adequate housing, water and sanitation, rural development, land reform and land restitution, and electrification of rural and peri-urban areas—with very limited resources. 16. In its efforts to give effect to socioeconomic rights, the Government, working with the people, had over the years expanded the delivery of social services. 17. Since 1994, the national housing programme had delivered 2.8 million new housing units. That had provided shelter for an additional 13.5 million people, approximately 25 per cent of the population, making the programme one of the world’s largest subsidized housing programmes. By December 2011, 87 per cent of the rural households had been provided with clean water, and 75 per cent with access to sanitation. 18. Furthermore, the Government provided social grants to more than 15 million people, approximately 30 per cent of the population, mainly vulnerable groups such as children, persons above the age of 60 and people with disabilities. Importantly, those benefits were currently extended to non-nationals with permanent residence status and refugees. 19. Access to basic education had been broadened through increased access to schooling for children from poor households by removing the payment of school fees, benefiting 8 4