A/72/53/Add.1 20. Welcomes the efforts made by the Cambodian Human Rights Committee, especially in resolving complaints from individuals; 21. Also welcomes the efforts and progress made by the Government of Cambodia in promoting decentralization and deconcentration reform with the aim of achieving democratic development by strengthening subnational and grass-roots institutions; 22. Expresses serious concern over the recent deterioration of the civil and political environment in Cambodia due to the chilling effects of judicial prosecutions and other actions against members of political parties, civil society and the media, in particular the recent arrest and detention of Kem Sokha, a political opposition leader, and calls upon all parties, inter alia, the ruling party, to work together towards de-escalating the tensions and building trust and confidence by restoring dialogue with relevant stakeholders in the country, and calls upon the Government of Cambodia to guarantee the right to freedom of expression and association and to fulfil its accountability for the cases concerned; 23. Expresses concern about the restrictions imposed on the media, civil society and political parties and the negative impact of the Law on Associations and NonGovernmental Organizations and the amendments of 28 February and 10 July 2017 to the Law on Political Parties, urges the Government of Cambodia to make continuous efforts to ensure an environment conducive to the conduct of political activities by all political parties under democratic principles and the rule of law, and to make further efforts to improve its electoral system in accordance with international standards so that its election process as a whole is satisfactory and acceptable to all parties concerned, and calls upon the Government to take steps to ensure that the elections set to be held in July 2018 do so in an open and fair manner; 24. Notes with concern that the 2017 amendments to the Law on Political Parties could lead to an arbitrary restriction on the activities of political parties, encourages all stakeholders to promote a peaceful democratic process under the rule of law and adherence to a system of pluralistic liberal democracies through the participation of all elected representatives in parliamentary debate, in accordance with the Constitution, and calls upon the Government of Cambodia to ensure the protection of parliamentary immunity for this purpose; 25. Urges the Government of Cambodia to take appropriate measures to encourage and enable civil society, including independent trade unions and media, to play a constructive role in consolidating democratic development in Cambodia, including by ensuring and promoting their activities and in promoting equal access to the media by all parties; 26. Notes the large presence of more than 5,000 entities operating associations and non-governmental organizations, and urges the Government of Cambodia to further take account of the interests and concerns of all stakeholders in enacting and/or implementing various laws and measures that may affect the activities of civil society, in particular, the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations, in order to further nurture a vibrant civil society, and to protect and ensure freedom of speech, association and peaceful assembly in accordance with the Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; 27. Encourages the Government of Cambodia to continue to take action to promote the rights and dignity of all Cambodians by protecting civil and political rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, and to this end to ensure that all laws are interpreted and applied in a judicious manner so as to promote economic, social and cultural rights in accordance with the rule of law; 28. Invites the Secretary-General, agencies of the United Nations system present in Cambodia and the international community, including civil society, to continue to work with the Government of Cambodia in strengthening democracy and ensuring the protection and promotion of the human rights of all people in Cambodia, including by providing assistance in the fields of: (a) Drafting laws and assisting the establishment of an independent national human rights institution; 92 GE.17-18194