A/HRC/37/12 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its twenty-eighth session from 6 to 17 November 2017. The review of Switzerland was held at the 7th meeting, on 9 November 2017. The delegation of Switzerland was headed by the Secretary of State at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Pascale Baeriswyl. At its 14th meeting, held on 14 November 2017, the Working Group adopted the report on Switzerland. 2. On 13 February 2017, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Switzerland: Ghana, the Philippines and Slovenia. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to Council resolution 16/21, the following documents were issued for the review of Switzerland: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/28/CHE/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.6/28/CHE/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/28/CHE/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Brazil, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Uruguay was transmitted to Switzerland through the troika. These 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 Swiss delegation emphasized that the preparatory work for the drafting of the report had been carried out in close consultation with the cantons and non-governmental players. 6. In respect of the commitments made during the second cycle of the universal period review, Switzerland had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; the International Labour Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189); and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure. It had notified the Secretariat of the United Nations of the withdrawal of its reservation to article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 7. Switzerland had ratified nine treaties of the Council of Europe. The ratification process for the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence was under way. 8. Switzerland recognized the need to set up a national human rights institution. It was preparing the legal basis for such an institution and a final bill would be put before Parliament in 2018. 9. The policy of open integration and coexistence that was a feature of the country was based on active work to combat all forms of discrimination. Current laws, notably the provisions of public law, and the related case law afforded broad protection against discrimination. A number of bodies were working together to combat racial discrimination and that objective was included in cantonal integration programmes. 2 GE.17-23483