A/HRC/42/12/Add.1 1. Costa Rica presented its third national report on the human rights situation in the country on 13 May 2019, during the thirty-third session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, held in Geneva, Switzerland. During the session, the countries represented at the review made 212 recommendations to the delegation of Costa Rica. The executive branch considers human rights to be a priority issue of the utmost importance. The delegation of Costa Rica therefore chose to reserve judgment on the recommendations during the session, preferring to provide the Government’s response to them once they had been communicated to the bodies comprising the country’s Inter-Institutional Commission for the Monitoring and Implementation of International Human Rights Obligations for evaluation of their relevance and viability, thereby ensuring wider ownership of decisions relating to international obligations. 2. Costa Rica created the Inter-Institutional Commission as a permanent advisory body to the executive branch with the objective of, inter alia, coordinating the implementation of international human rights obligations at the national level. The Commission was established by Executive Decree No. 36776-RE of 9 August 2011. 3. Following the evaluation of the 212 recommendations by the relevant national institutions, the Government of Costa Rica wishes to convey to the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, by means of the present document, its decision to accept 194 of the recommendations, partially accept 3 and note 12. The Government does not accept 3 of the recommendations. 4. In addition to these decisions, the Government of Costa Rica made a voluntary commitment, during the presentation of its third national report, to develop an action plan for the implementation of the recommendations made during the universal periodic review. Costa Rica also committed to drafting a midterm progress report on the implementation of the accepted recommendations, to be submitted in 2021. The aim of the report is to ensure that the State can work towards the effective implementation of its commitments in the area of human rights, both in the medium term and ahead of its next national report due in 2024. 5. The Government of Costa Rica takes very seriously the process of preparing reports and the promotion of and participation in accountability mechanisms in the area of human rights. The universal periodic review, as one of the main tools of the Human Rights Council, is of particular importance for the country. Since its creation, through General Assembly resolution 60/251 (A/RES/60/251), the aim of the universal periodic review has been to ensure universality and the equal treatment of all States. Costa Rica has chosen to submit national reports that describe the reality in the country in terms of both progress and challenges, with the aim of ensuring monitoring and oversight of the rights and dignity of all persons equally and without discrimination. Costa Rica also considers that the universal periodic review has been extremely useful in the formulation and implementation of public policies and action in the field of human rights. 6. Costa Rica values the recommendations it receives regarding its commitments to promoting and defending the full exercise of human rights. 7. Of the recommendations received during the review of the third national report, those marked as accepted in the present report relate to actions currently being taken by Costa Rica or to the Government’s commitment to moving forward with follow-up to a specific recommendation. The majority of the recommendations are aimed at encouraging the State to pursue its efforts and maintain its determination to promote and respect human rights. 8. In follow-up to General Assembly resolution 68/268 on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system, Costa Rica wishes to urge States to employ more precise wording when making future recommendations. This is in line with points made previously regarding proposals for improvements and the importance of formulating recommendations more clearly to increase their usefulness and make it easier for the working groups, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and States themselves to evaluate them and take follow-up action. 9. In the present report, the recommendations are grouped by thematic human rights issues rather than being listed in numerical order. 2 GE.19-15964