A/HRC/11/16* Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007, held its fourth session from 2 to 13 February 2009. The review of Djibouti was held at the 2nd meeting on 2 February 2009. The delegation of Djibouti was headed by H.E. Mohamed Barkat Abdillahi, Minister of Justice, Penitentiary affairs, in charge of Human Rights. At its meeting held on 4 February 2009, the Working Group adopted the present report on Djibouti. 2. On 8 September 2008, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Djibouti: Russian Federation, Bolivia and Indonesia. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to resolution 5/1, the following documents were issued for the review of Djibouti: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/4/DJI/1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/4/DJI/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR, in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/4/DJI/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Djibouti through the troika. These questions are available on the extranet of the UPR. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. At the 2nd meeting, on 2 February 2009, H.E. Mr. Mohamed BARKAT ABDILLAHI, Minister of Justice, Penitentiary affairs, in charge of Human Rights, described the progress made as well as the constraints, limitations and efforts undertaken to place the human being at the heart of Djibouti policies. He also highlighted that its country was committed to promoting dialogue based on objectivity, impartiality and non-selectivity and that Djibouti attached great importance to the UPR, which represents a self-assessment and an opportunity to learn from other experiences. He recalled the country’s voluntary pledges made in 2006 on the occasion of its candidacy to the Human Rights Council, namely the ratification of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the International Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD); all those instruments had since been ratified. This was in addition to an already long list of international and regional human rights instruments to which Djibouti is party to and that the delegation enumerated. 6. He reported on measures taken in order to domesticate these instruments in national law, in addition to relevant provisions enshrined in the Constitution. The promotion of human rights being of the Government’s main priorities, Djibouti established a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in line with the Paris Principles; its role is to publish advisory opinions. Despite material difficulties, the Commission is working normally and GE.09-15263 3