Through the Universal Periodic Review, the Human Rights Council will review, on a periodic basis, the fulfilment by each of the 193 United Nations Member States of their human rights obligations and commitments.
A review of a State is based on: (a) a national report prepared by the State under review; (b) a compilation of United Nations information on the State under review prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); and (c) a summary of information submitted by other stakeholders (including civil society actors, national human rights institutions and regional organizations), also prepared by OHCHR.
The review itself takes place in Geneva in a session of the Working Group on the UPR, which is composed of the 47 member States of the Human Rights Council. The review takes the form of an interactive dialogue between the State under review and the member and observer States of the Council. At the end of each review, the Working Group adopts an outcome document, which is subsequently considered and adopted by the Human Rights Council at a later session.
(a) Contributions to UPR documentation by “Other Stakeholders”, including civil society and national human rights institutions
The UPR process provides for the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and regional mechanisms.
Civil society actors, NHRIs and regional mechanisms can submit written information for the report containing a summary of information submitted by other stakeholders, which is considered during the review.
Accredited stakeholders can also attend and observe the session of the UPR Working Group. Accredited stakeholders can also attend , and make oral statements, during the regular sessions of the Human Rights Council when the outcomes of the State reviews are considered.
Stakeholders – civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and regional mechanisms - should follow the
technical guidelines for stakeholders submissions for the 3rd cycle issued by OHCHR, to send written contributions to UPR documentation.
Stakeholders’ submissions should be sent – according to the deadlines below - through the "On-line UPR submissions registration system" to register contributions for the UPR documentation from UN entities and stakeholders available in the following link:
https://uprdoc.ohchr.org. Stakeholders should follow the
Guidelines for the Use of the On-Line UPR Submissions Registration System" available in the Online system.
Important note: all UPR submissions must be submitted and received (through
theOn-line system for registration of contributions) not later than the day of the given deadline (3:00 p.m. Geneva time). Late submissions will not be considered. Should organizations encounter technical problems using the Online system, please contact the UPR Submissions Helpdesk through the following email address:
uprsubmissions@ohchr.org.
Any act of intimidation or reprisal for cooperation in the context of the UPR should be promptly reported to the UPR Secretariat (uprreprisals@ohchr.org) as well as to the reprisals team of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (reprisals@ohchr.org).
|
UPR Working Group sessions |
Tentative deadlines for “Other Stakeholders”1(and UN entities) to submit written contributions |
Matrices of recommendations of countries to be reviewed during the 3rd cycle of the UPR |
|---|
27th session (Apr-May 2017) |
22 Sept. 2016
(confirmed) |
Bahrain,
Ecuador,
Tunisia,
Morocco,
Indonesia,
Finland,
United Kingdom,
India,
Brazil,
Philippines,
Algeria,
Poland,
Netherlands,
South Africa |
28th session(Oct-Nov 2017) |
30 March 2017
(confirmed) |
Czech Republic,
Argentina,
Gabon,
Ghana,
Peru,
Guatemala,
Benin,
Republic of Korea,
Switzerland,
Pakistan,
Zambia,
Japan,
Ukraine, Sri Lanka |
29th session (Jan-Feb 2018) |
29 June 2017
(confirmed) |
France,
Tonga,
Romania,
Mali,
Botswana,
Bahamas,
Burundi, Luxembourg,
Barbados,
Montenegro,
United Arab Emirates, Israel,
Liechtenstein,
Serbia |
30th session (May 2018) |
5 October 2017
(confirmed) |
Turkmenistan,
Burkina Faso,
Cabo Verde,
Colombia,
Uzbekistan,
Tuvalu,
Germany,
Djibouti,
Canada,
Bangladesh,
Russian Federation,
Azerbaijan,
Cameroon,
Cuba |
31st session (Oct-Nov 2018) |
29 March 2018
(confirmed) |
Saudi Arabia,
Senegal,
China,
Nigeria,
Mexico,
Mauritius, Jordan,
Malaysia,
Central African Republic,
Monaco,
Belize,
Chad,
Congo,
Malta |
32nd session (Jan-Feb 2019) |
12 July 2018
(confirmed) |
New Zealand,
Afghanistan,
Chile,Viet Nam,Uruguay,
Yemen,
Vanuatu, Republic of North Macedonia,Comoros,Slovakia,Eritrea, Cyprus,
Dominican Republic, Cambodia |
33rd session (Apr-May 2019) |
4 October 2018
(confirmed) |
Norway,
Albania,
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Côte d’Ivoire,
Portugal,Bhutan,Dominica,Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
Brunei Darussalam,
Costa Rica,
Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia,
Qatar,
Nicaragua |
34th session (Oct-Nov 2019) |
28 March 2019
(confirmed) |
Italy,
El Salvador,
Gambia,
Bolivia,
Fiji,
San Marino,
Kazakhstan,
Angola,
Iran (Islamic Republic of),
Madagascar,Iraq,
Slovenia,Egypt,
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
35th session (Jan-Feb 2020) |
18 July 2019
(confirmed) |
Kyrgyzstan,
Kiribati,Guinea,
Lao People’s Democratic Republic,Spain,
Lesotho,
Kenya,Armenia,
Guinea-Bissau,
Sweden,
Grenada,
Turkey, Guyana,
Kuwait |
36th session (Apr-May 2020) |
3 October 2019
(confirmed) |
Belarus, Liberia,
Malawi,Mongolia,
Panama,Maldives,
Andorra,
Bulgaria,
Honduras,
United States of America,Marshall Islands,
Croatia,Jamaica, Libya |
37th session (Oct-Nov 2020) |
26 March 2020
(confirmed) |
Micronesia (Federated States of),Lebanon,Mauritania,
Nauru,
Rwanda,
Nepal,Saint Lucia,
Oman,
Austria,Myanmar,
Australia,
Georgia,Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Sao Tome and Principe |
38th session (Jan-Feb) 2021) |
9 July 2020
(confirmed) |
Namibia,
Niger, Mozambique,
Estonia,
Paraguay,Belgium,
Denmark, Palau,
Somalia,
Seychelles,Solomon Islands, Latvia,
Sierra Leone,
Singapore |
39th session (Apr-May 2021) |
8 October 2020
(confirmed) |
Suriname,
Greece,
Samoa,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,Sudan,
Hungary,
Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan,
United Republic of Tanzania,
Antigua and Barbuda,
Eswatini, Trinidad and Tobago,
Thailand,
Ireland |
40th session (Oct-Nov 2021) |
18 March 2021
(tentative) |
Togo,
Syrian Arab Republic,
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Iceland,
Zimbabwe,
Lithuania,Uganda,Timor Leste,
Republic of Moldova,
Haiti,South Sudan |
(b) Participation of NGO’s in the UPR Working Group meetings and the regular sessions of the Human Rights Council
How to participate in a session of the Working Group?
NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can be accredited to participate in the session of the Working Group as Observers.
Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of July 1996.
Check your NGO in the ECOSOC NGO database.
For information on how your NGO can apply for ECOSOC consultative status.
Quick links
1. NGO Information meetings: As Observers, NGOs are able to observe the proceedings without making oral or written statements at session of the Working Group, though may organize Information Meetings on the UPR process, with a view to sharing
information and best practices. Requests to organise Information Meetings should be made through the
NGO Parallel Event Registration Portal.
For the 35th session of the UPR Working Group (20-31 January 2020), requests for side-events by NGOs with ECOSOC status may be submitted from 23 December 2019 to 9 January 2020. For any questions, please contact hrcngo@ohchr.org.
2. A Practical Guide for Civil Society: Information about accreditation, attending the session, access to the public gallery, requesting a room for an Information Meeting, documentation and resources, participation in general, as well as the technical guidelines for stakeholders submissions can be found in the Practical Guide for Civil Society [Download:
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