A/HRC/44/6 were guaranteed in the Constitution and the law on mass media. The Government also paid attention to restraining abuses of online social media, such as spreading fake news, disinformation and pornographic material. 8. Noting the importance of non-profit associations and foundations as partners for socioeconomic development and poverty alleviation, the delegation highlighted Decree No. 238, on associations and foundations, which allowed civil society organizations to receive funding and technical support in accordance with the national law and guidelines. Currently 163 associations and 25 foundations had been approved by relevant authorities. 9. With regard to a disappearance case, the delegation gave assurances that the Government had not ceased its efforts to continue the investigation in accordance with the law and as requested by the family. However, many questions remained unanswered. The investigation committee it had established continued to look into all aspects that might deliver further clarity on the cause of the disappearance. The investigation could take time and the Government would continue its efforts in that regard. 10. Poverty reduction was one of the top priorities of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The country aimed to graduate from least developed country status by 2024 and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in order to steadily improve the livelihoods of its people. The Government had adopted its Vision 2030 framework, the strategic plan for rural development and the eradication of poverty (2016–2025) and a strategic development plan to 2030, which had been incorporated into its eighth national socioeconomic development plan (2016–2020), with a view to elevating the country to middle-income status. Significant progress had been made in terms of poverty reduction in the past few years. 11. Education was another area of priority. The country had adopted a number of laws relating to the education sector, such as the Law on Education, in 2015, the decree on higher-level education, in 2015 and a decree on monastic education, in 2017. The country was implementing its education and sports development plan for 2016–2020 and its education vision to 2030 framework, and the Government had strived to allocate 17 per cent of its gross domestic product to the education sector annually. 12. Since the second cycle of the universal periodic review, the Government had continued to reform its public health sector, in order to provide its people with broad and accessible health-care coverage. The implementation of the health reform plan for 2016– 2020, the National Nutrition Strategy to 2025 and the National Nutrition Plan of Action for 2016–2020 was ongoing. The Government had also focused on improving the infrastructure for, and expanding, its public health network in urban and rural areas. 13. Land was a national treasure under the ownership of all of the country’s multi-ethnic people, with the State administering the land on behalf of the people in a collective and uniform manner. The State acknowledged and protected the right to land ownership for inherited land. In 2016, Decree No. 84/PM, on land compensation and resettlement of people affected by development projects, had been adopted to provide fair compensation and land replacement. In 2018, the National Assembly had adopted a law on settlement and sustainable jobs allocation, and in 2019, it had adopted the law on land. Permission for land concession for development projects required the certification of environmental and social impact assessments, and economic and technical analyses. Committees had been established to seek public opinion and consult with the people who might be affected. Where relocation of people was needed, the State provided new areas for resettlement and implemented a compensation policy. 14. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic attached importance to the protection of the rights and best interests of children, and had created the national action plan on the prevention and elimination of violence against women and children (2014–2020), the national action plan for mothers and children (2016–2020) and the national action plan on the elimination of child labour (2014–2020). 15. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic had adopted the law on persons with disabilities in 2019 in order to strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of persons with disabilities, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against persons with 3