A/HRC/48/15 41. New Zealand welcomed the participation of Latvia in the universal periodic review and made recommendations. 42. The Niger commended Latvia for the measures it had taken to combat human trafficking and for its amendments to the legislation on nationality. It invited Latvia to continue its efforts to reduce the number of non-citizens. 43. Pakistan noted the measures Latvia had taken to strengthen the national human rights institution, combat racial discrimination, curb gender-based violence and promote gender equality. It was concerned about the increase in racism, hate crime and hate speech. 44. Paraguay welcomed the efforts of Latvia to combat human trafficking. It was concerned about discrimination against ethnic minorities in education, employment, public and political life, as well as their access to services. 45. Peru thanked Latvia for its presentation and recognized the progress it had made to combat trafficking in persons. 46. The Philippines welcomed the progress Latvia had made regarding gender equality and its efforts to incorporate the International Labour Organization Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) in its national legislation. 47. Poland praised Latvia on the adoption of the law granting citizenship to all newborn children in its territory and encouraged it to make further efforts to eliminate statelessness. 48. Portugal noted with appreciation the completion of the judicial system territorial reform in Latvia. 49. The Republic of Korea noted in particular the efforts of Latvia to protect the rights of persons with disabilities by approving the Plan for Creating an Accessible Environment in Latvia. 50. Romania commended Latvia for its implementation of legislative measures to facilitate the investigation of complaints concerning torture by independent bodies and its efforts to eliminate discrimination and violence against women. 51. The Russian Federation was deeply concerned about the organization of regular events in Latvia condoning Nazism and the situation of linguistic minorities and persons with non-citizen status. 52. Rwanda welcomed the progress achieved in women’s participation in political processes, particularly during the 2018 parliamentary election, which had seen an increase in the number of women elected. 53. Senegal welcomed the progress made and encouraged Latvia to continue its efforts to improve the conditions of vulnerable groups, including women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons. 54. Serbia commended Latvia for the measures it had taken to implement the recommendations made during the previous review and applauded in particular its efforts to integrate members of ethnic minorities in Latvian society. 55. Singapore commended the practical measures taken by Latvia to address hate speech and noted the increase in the number of children with disabilities who were studying in mainstream schools. 56. Slovakia welcomed the progress made in the areas of gender equality and civil society participation. It encouraged Latvia to ratify the core human rights treaties. 57. Slovenia regretted that citizenship was not automatically extended to all stateless children. It was also concerned about the placement in institutions of orphans and children without parental care. 58. Spain recognized the efforts of Latvia to combat violence against women and girls and to promote projects for the building of new penitentiary centres. 5