A/HRC/19/2 Zimbabwe success in their implementation. Morocco encouraged Zimbabwe to continue with its decision to draw up a national human rights plan of action on the implementation of accepted recommendations in partnership with stakeholders, who would assist the Government to comply with its human rights obligations. 717. South Africa commended Zimbabwe for all its efforts aimed at attaining the Millennium Development Goals in the education and health sectors, and underscored the need to lift crippling sanctions and to provide technical assistance and capacity-building through various means. It acknowledged the role of the Parliament’s Thematic Committee on Human Rights and of the Zimbabwean Commission on Human Rights. It encouraged Zimbabwe to continue its efforts to strengthen these institutions, its programmes aimed at poverty eradication, to end gender discrimination, as well as its integrated child protection strategies. It wished Zimbabwe well in its constitutional review process and with the implementation of the recommendations accepted. 718. The United States of America welcomed Zimbabwe’s decision to adopt the recommendation on operationalizing the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission. It remained deeply concerned about the ongoing lack of human rights protection in Zimbabwe. It strongly urged the Government to reconsider many of the recommendations that it had declined to support, including to implement fully the Global Political Agreement, to repeal or amend the restrictive Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act; to invite the Special Rapporteur on torture and other mandate holders; and to create stronger mechanisms to ensure greater revenue transparency from diamond mining, to demilitarize the diamond industry and thoroughly investigate cases of beatings and abuse by Government and private security services in the Marange area. It urged Zimbabwe to reconsider its decision not to support the recommendation to investigate all credible allegations relating to the presidential elections of 2008. This was considered important to prevent a recurrence of political violence during the next round of elections. 719. Belarus stated that the universal periodic review made it possible to evaluate Zimbabwe’s successes in implementing economic, social and cultural rights and improving its national legislation. Belarus noted with satisfaction Zimbabwe’s efforts to reduce poverty, to combat various different pandemics, to ensure universal national education and also to combat trafficking. It shared Zimbabwe’s concern with regard to the destructive influence on the enjoyment of human rights of unilateral coercive measures adopted by certain Western countries against the people of Zimbabwe. Such measures should be immediately and irrevocably revoked because they were being applied illegally, in violation of international law. 720. Chad noted with satisfaction that Zimbabwe had accepted a large number of recommendations, including the recommendations made by Chad. Given the fact that Zimbabwe had accepted a good number of recommendations, the international community should provide it with the necessary financial and technical assistance so that it could benefit from the experience of others and also be able to address the challenges that it faces in the area of human rights. 3. General comments made by other relevant stakeholders 721. CIVICUS welcomed Zimbabwe’s decision to accept most recommendations and its commitment to engage civil society in its follow-up to the universal periodic review. CIVICUS was concerned that Zimbabwe had rejected recommendations relating to the reform of laws that curtailed civil liberties and freedoms and the need to address impunity, including for investigation of the 2008 electoral violence and bringing to account all perpetrators. Additionally, the Government should address the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders. CIVICUS called upon the Human Rights Council to urge GE.13-14768 241