A/HRC/7/19/Add.5 A/HRC/7/23/Add.3 Page 7 6. In 1503 the European settlers began bringing enslaved Africans to the island to ensure adequate labor for their plantations, especially after the introduction of sugar cane. In 1697, the French occupied the western third of the island, becoming an important economic and political rival to the Spanish authorities. This area, which became the richest colony in the world with large sugar plantations worked by approximately half a million slaves from Africa, gained its independence from France in 1804, becoming the Republic of Haiti. 7. The history of the Dominican Republic has been marked by difficult, often dramatic episodes with Haiti, foremost the Haitian occupation of the Dominican Republic from 1822 to 1844, following which the Dominican Republic gained independence. From 1930 to 1961 the country came under the dictatorial control of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who fostered an official policy of racism and promoted a European and Hispanic identity, built around the development of anti-Haitian sentiments and the use of violence against Haitians. Since the late 1960s, elected Presidents have held office. B. Demographic and ethnic composition 8. In its 2007 periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), 3 the Government of the Dominican Republic states that the country has a population of 8,200,000, 80 percent of whom are black and 20 percent are of mixed race. However, in the country’s previous report to CERD, 4 the Government noted that, according to data from censuses prior to 1992, a majority of the country's population, amounting to practically 80 percent, did not fit into the classic racial typology, combining indigenous Amerindian, Spanish Caucasian (itself the outcome of Iberian/Arab/Moorish crossbreeding) and black races. The latter was the position unanimously expressed by Government representatives, who referred to an overwhelmingly “mulatto” population of individuals of both lighter and darker skin tones. 9. The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Although there are no reliable statistics, different estimates put the number of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent who live in the Dominican Republic at between 500,000 and 1 million, 5 engaged in various occupations, including construction, agriculture, private security services, domestic service and the informal sector. Of those, several sources estimate that more than half were born in the Dominican Republic. C. International human rights instruments 10. The Dominican Republic is party to all major international human rights instruments including, of particular relevance to the mandates on racism and minority issues, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its first Optional Protocol, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Rights of the 3 CERD/C/DOM/12. CERD/C/331/Add.1. 5 The Dominican Government states in its 2007 report to CERD that approximately 1 million Haitians live in the Dominican Republic (CERD/C/DOM/12). 4