A/HRC/12/11* promotion of women’s rights and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. Reference was made to Viet Nam’s adherence to a number of international human rights instruments. 28. Noting the commitment to promoting the right to self-determination, Algeria recommended (a) continuing to uphold the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly for the exercise by people under foreign occupation to their right to self-determination. Praising the poverty reduction strategy, Algeria recommended (b) continuing to implement the strategy to further lower the rate of poverty, and (c) sharing best practices and experience in this field with interested countries, inter alia by contributing actively to strengthening South-South cooperation in this regard , and (d) continuing to implement credit-for-jobs projects and to promote labour market development. Algeria recommended that Viet Nam (f) give due attention to reconciling the universal values of human rights with its specific circumstances, and (e) continue fulfilling its obligations under the international treaties to which it is a party and consider acceding to CAT. 29. Venezuela noted the great efforts to overcome the devastation suffered in the struggle for national liberation. It appreciated the effective reduction of the poverty rate from 58.1 per cent in the 1990s to 13.8 per cent in 2008. In the framework of the right to development, it recommended that Viet Nam share with other countries its successes and good practices on the guiding principles of solidarity and socialism. 30. The Russian Federation welcomed the preparation of the national report through wide consultation and recommended that Viet Nam (a) continue to involve the appropriate political and social organizations in work to encourage and promote human rights. Highlighting support to the poorest including orphans and persons with disabilities, it recommended (b) continuing the very successful and socially oriented economic policy, including by providing drinking water to poor households and special hardship regions, and (c) participating actively in international cooperation to encourage and protect economic social and cultural rights. It urged Viet Nam to (d) share its positive experiences with other countries and, highlighting results achieved in gender equality, to (e) continue efforts to inform the wider society about the laws concerned and the rights of women in general, widely use the mass media to raise awareness of gender equality and publish the appropriate papers and documents in ethnic minority languages. 31. Thailand noted that one of Viet Nam’s challenges was to strike the right balance between the imperatives of economic development and the need to enlarge civil liberties. Thailand recommended (a) continuing its poverty reduction efforts as a means of laying the groundwork for the further enhancement of human rights of its people, and (b) providing and expanding human rights education and training for all relevant Government authorities to build capacities of officials and ensure effective implementation of human rights-related laws. 32. The Philippines noted that Viet Nam intends to ratify the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Palermo Protocol. It commended Viet Nam’s support for the establishment of the ASEAN human rights body and asked whether Viet Nam had plans to establish an independent national human rights institution. The Philippines recommended (a) sharing experiences in promoting agricultural productivity and sustainability, local development and good governance with other developing countries, (b) further increasing the use of ethnic languages in schools and the mass media, and (c) continuing the programme of building affordable housing for low-income families to promote broader enjoyment of the right to adequate housing by 2020. 33. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic underlined that since unification in 1975, after over 30 years of post-war reconstruction, the country had overcome tremendous GE.09-16382 7