A/HRC/33/17 to the Convention against Torture and on removing all constitutional obstacles restricting access to abortions. 34. New Zealand commended progress on gender equality and the Constitutional amendment allowing same-sex marriage, while noting the need for further work on the sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents. 35. Norway appreciated the continued involvement of civil society in the review process. Norway remained concerned about the restrictive circumstances under which an abortion could be carried out in Ireland and about prison conditions. 36. Pakistan commended Ireland for its adoption of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy, its establishment of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Court of Appeal and its cooperation with human rights mechanisms. 37. Panama welcomed the efforts of Ireland to protect human rights, especially the strategies on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and on children and young people’s participation in decision-making, and the establishment of the Child Protection and Human Exploitation Unit and the Court of Appeal. 38. Paraguay highlighted the effective application of legislation in Ireland and hoped that remaining problems could be overcome with successive legal reforms. 39. Indonesia welcomed the establishment of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Human Rights to assist in the ratification of key international human rights treaties and the commitment to further promote women’s rights. 40. Poland welcomed the establishment of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. 41. Portugal welcomed the establishment of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Portugal was concerned that families affected by homelessness reportedly faced delays in accessing social housing. 42. Qatar was concerned at violence against women and girls and that asylum seekers faced long waiting periods and poor living conditions in reception centres. It reminded Ireland of its pledge to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 43. The delegation of Ireland reported that ratifying the Amendment to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on the crime of aggression was an important objective. The Government was committed to promoting freedom of expression on and offline, and was actively highlighting the issue of climate change in human rights discussions. 44. The Irish Refugee Protection Programme was a response to the migration crisis in Southern Europe. Over two years, Ireland would take up to 4,000 individuals, including 520 programme refugees from Lebanon under the refugee resettlement programme. To date, 263 people had been accepted and the remainder were expected by the end of 2016. 45. The new Government had reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the housing shortage and homelessness crisis by appointing a Cabinet Minister for housing issues, and was committed to putting housing on a sustainable footing. The delegation stated that every household in Ireland would have access to secure, good quality housing suited to its needs at an affordable price in a sustainable community. It had set a target of an increase in output to the 25,000 homes required annually and measures had been introduced accordingly. 46. The rental market in Ireland had doubled between 2006 and 2011. Measures were being introduced to bring much-needed stability to the rental sector. 47. The Social Housing Strategy 2020 aimed to increase the supply of social housing by 110,000 by 2020. Some €3 billion in capital funding would be provided to that end. 6 GE.16-12337

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