A/HRC/22/8 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 fourteenth session from 22 October to 5 November 2012. The review of Guatemala was held at the 6th meeting, held on 24 October 2012. The delegation of Guatemala was headed by the Secretary of Peace and the President of the Presidential Human Rights Commission, Antonio Arenales Forno. At its 12th meeting held on 29 November 2012, the Working Group adopted the report on Guatemala. 2. On 3 May 2012, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Guatemala: Czech Republic, Jordan and Senegal. 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 Guatemala: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/14/GTM/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.6/14/GTM/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/14/GTM/3 and Corr.1). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was transmitted to Guatemala through the troika. These questions are available on the extranet of the universal periodic review (UPR). The replies of Guatemala are also available on the extranet of UPR. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The National Report of Guatemala was introduced by the Secretary of Peace and President of the Presidential Human Rights Commission, Antonio Arenales Forno. 6. Guatemala stated that the State’s review required awareness of what the State was and where it came from. Guatemala was in its initial phase of building a democratic State based on the rule of law. Even though Guatemala had been independent for 191 years, transitional democracy had started only 27 years previously and the armed conflict that had lasted 36 years had ended only 16 years previously. 7. Guatemala was satisfied with the important achievements made during the short period of 16 years of peace and democracy, despite its lack of tradition, experience and democratic institutions. It was experiencing its longest period of democracy. 8. Guatemala was part of indigenous Latin America, different to the Euro-descendants or the mestizo Latin Americas. Due to its multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual characteristics, it required deep reforms. The current legal and institutional order, created in the early years of independence, did not correspond to those characteristics, and results in 3