A/HRC/15/3 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its eighth session from 3 to 14 May 2010. The review of Kiribati was held at the 2nd meeting, on 3 May 2010. The delegation of Kiribati was headed by the Minister for Internal and Social Affairs, The Honourable Kouraiti Beniato. At its 6th meeting, held on 5 May 2010, the Working Group adopted the report on Kiribati. 2. On 7 September 2009, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Kiribati: Brazil, Jordan and the Russian Federation. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to resolution 5/1, the following documents were issued for the review of Kiribati: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/8/KIR/1) and its corrigendum (A/HRC/WG.6/8/KIR/1/Corr.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.6/8/KIR/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/8/KIR/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Kiribati through the troika. Those questions are available on the extranet of the universal periodic review. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The delegation of Kiribati stated that Kiribati was committed to the universal periodic review process. It thanked all stakeholders involved in the preparation of the national report. Kiribati also reaffirmed its appreciation for the support provided by the Government of the Netherlands, the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team, the secretariat of the Pacific Communities and the Regional Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Pacific, based in Suva, Fiji. 6. The delegation of Kiribati briefly outlined the key challenging factors that, in many respects, restrict Kiribati’s efforts to fully fulfil the requirements set out in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution. The delegation noted that Kiribati faced an acute scarcity of natural resources. Traditional aid sources included the bilateral aid programmes of Australia and New Zealand. Several donor countries, in addition to regional and international organizations, formed a group of development partners for Kiribati. It further noted that the geographical smallness and fragmentation of the islands made internal communications and transportation difficult and costly. Furthermore, isolation from major international markets rendered international trade uneconomical. Kiribati was a net exporter of food items and much-needed building material. Infrastructure required a great deal of development, and maintenance work on roads, the airport and port facilities were costly and thus below international standards. 3