A/HRC/27/9 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 nineteenth session from 28 April to 9 May 2014. The review of Dominica was held at the 7th meeting, on 1 May 2014. The delegation of Dominica was headed by Mr. Vince Henderson, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the United Nations in New York. At its 14th meeting, held on 6 May 2014, the Working Group adopted the report on Dominica. 2. On 15 January 2014, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Dominica: Mexico, Sierra Leone and Germany. 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 Dominica: (a) 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.6/19/DMA/2); (b) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/19/DMA/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Germany, Liechtenstein, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Dominica through the troika. Those questions are available on the extranet of the universal periodic review (UPR). I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The head of the delegation stated that although Dominica had faced challenges since gaining political independence in 1978, the Government had been able to bring about significant improvements in the lives of the people. There had been major strides in access to and delivery of quality education, health care and social services, as well as protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and support for indigenous people, women and the elderly. The Government was committed to human rights, social justice and equity, which were enshrined in the Constitution of Dominica, and continued to protect the right to access to basic services. Fundamental rights had become deeply rooted in the culture, traditions and way of life of the people of Dominica. Those who were elected were required to always respect the people’s wishes and, therefore, social changes must be driven by the people in a manner that reflected their collective acceptance. 6. Dominica recognized its international obligations; however, constraints on both technical and financial resources made it difficult for the country to meet some of those obligations. The absence of a national human rights institution did not indicate that his country was unwilling to protect the rights of individuals, as it had been able to guarantee them even with limited resources. Nevertheless, training and technical assistance were necessary. In that regard, he thanked OHCHR for the assistance it had provided in meeting the demands of reporting and of implementing United Nations treaty obligations. Dominica looked forward to the continued support of and collaboration with OHCHR. 3