A/HRC/50/8 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its fortieth session from 24 January to 11 February 2022. The review of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was held at the 4th meeting, on 25 January 2022. The delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was headed by the Executive Vice-President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez Gómez. At its 10th meeting, held on 28 January 2022, the Working Group adopted the report on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. 2. On 12 January 2022, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: Cuba, Indonesia and Somalia. 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 the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a);1 (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b); 2 (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c);3 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, Panama, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America was transmitted to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela through the troika. These questions are available on the website of the universal periodic review. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The Executive Vice-President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela underlined the web of 502 unilateral coercive measures taken against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela without a basis in international public law, which had resulted in sanctions against the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela impeding the enjoyment of their human rights. She also mentioned the retention of Venezuelan gold, stocked in a particular country, preventing the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from addressing the humanitarian situation generated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. She added that, in the Human Rights Council, perpetrators and victims of these domination policies coexisted. 6. The Executive Vice-President referred to a 2020 report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the migration and displacement situation in a neighbouring country, which had affected the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. In 2021, another report had considered that the same neighbouring country was the country receiving the second-highest number of migrants from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, triggering a war about the use of the term “humanitarian crisis” as well as intervention by several countries. She stressed the need to prevent the political instrumentalization of the human rights system. 7. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the International Criminal Court had signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the capacities of the national judicial system. The Executive Vice-President pointed to the inequalities between the Global North and the Global South regarding the cases examined by the International Criminal Court, the 1 2 3 2 A/HRC/WG.6/40/VEN/1. A/HRC/WG.6/40/VEN/2. A/HRC/WG.6/40/VEN/3.