A/HRC/13/3 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007, held its sixth session from 30 November to 11 December 2009. The review of the Dominican Republic was held at the 3rd meeting, on 1 December 2009. The delegation of the Dominican Republic was headed by Dr. Max Puig, Secretary of State for Labour. At its 7th meeting held on 3 December 2009, the Working Group adopted the present report on the Dominican Republic. 2. On 7 September 2009, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of the Dominican Republic: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh and Argentina. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to resolution 5/1, the following documents were issued for the review of Dominican Republic: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/6/ DOM/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.6/6/DOM/2); (c) A summary prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/6/DOM/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands was transmitted to the Dominican Republic through the troika. These questions are available on the extranet of the Working Group. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. At the 3rd meeting, on 1 December 2009, the Secretary of State for Labour opened his statement by indicating that the national report is the result of intensive efforts undertaken by the Government with great responsibility and broad participation. 6. He recalled that the Dominican Republic has ratified the major international human rights conventions, which are part of the nation’s legal framework. He added that the Government is carrying out the necessary studies to promptly determine the possibility of accession to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW). 7. The Secretary of State for Labour highlighted that since the 1960s significant progress has been made in the field of human rights. However, it is important to bear in mind that this progressive improvement takes place against a structural backdrop of longstanding poverty and immigration. In that context, he presented some of the achievements of recent years and referred to persisting challenges. 8. With regard to the issues of documentation and nationality, in 2004 the Government estimated that there were approximately 600,000 unregistered nationals. In order to rectify this situation, the Late Registration Unit (Unidad de Declaraciones Tardías) was 3