A/HRC/26/7 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 eighteenth session from 27 January to 7 February 2014. The review of Uruguay was held at the 5th meeting, on 29 January 2014. The delegation of Uruguay was headed by Homero Guerrero, Secretary of the Presidency (Minister). At its 10th meeting, held on 31 January 2014, the Working Group adopted the report on Uruguay. 2. On 15 January 2014, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Uruguay: Burkina Faso, Chile and France. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to resolution 16/21, the following documents were issued for the review of Uruguay: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/18/URY/1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/18/URY/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/18/URY/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Uruguay through the troika. Those questions are available on the extranet of the universal periodic review (UPR). Summaries of additional questions posed during the interactive dialogue by Canada, Finland, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates are to be found in section I.B of the present report. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The head of the delegation of Uruguay reiterated the State’s commitment to democracy, to human rights and to the multilateral system. He noted that Uruguay had ratified all fundamental treaties for the protection of human rights and the optional protocols thereto. It cooperated with human rights mechanisms and had extended an open invitation to rapporteurs, experts and all other Human Rights Council special procedures, and those of the inter-American system, to visit the country. 6. The delegation referred to the context in which Uruguay had been protecting human rights in the previous decade, which had been marked by the economic crisis of 2001 and 2002, the worst ever suffered by Uruguay. Unemployment and the deterioration of socioeconomic conditions had generated a serious risk of social and family disintegration, the marginalization of a significant number of Uruguayans and an increase in poverty and extreme poverty, as well as a considerable increase in emigration, in particular among young people. 7. That situation constituted one of the biggest threats to the enjoyment of human rights, in particular economic and social rights. The consequences of the crisis had been 3