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xTogether supports statement at Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review debate
Date: 20th March 2015
Category:
Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
On Friday 20th March 2015, a group of 47 NGOs including Together supported a statement led by UPR info during the UN Human Rights Council 28th session, to call on States to focus on the quality of UPR recommendations, not their quantity.
At the general debate on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) held at the Human Rights Council, Executive Director of UPR Info shared the view of the non-government organisations (NGOs) that it was "misguided to focus on the quantity of recommendations" as limiting the number of recommendations could be detrimental to the UPR process. Indeed, if fewer recommendations were made, important issues would be left aside.
Moreover, having many similar or identical recommendations on a given issue shows the concerns of the international community on a specific issue. The statement concluded that the main problem at the UPR was the proportion of weak, unspecific recommendations, not the overall number itself.
This statement came as a response to repeated calls from some actors to decrease the number of recommendations made at the UPR, and notably the commitment by some States to limit to two the number of recommendations made to each State under review.
- Watch the video of the statement here.
- Download a copy of the statement here.
- Find out more about the UPR and the last UK review here.
UPR Info is an NGO dedicated to promote the Universal Periodic Review mechanism since 2008.
Established in 2008, UPR Info aims at raising awareness on the UPR and providing capacity-building tools to the different actors of the process, such as United Nations Member States, NGOs, National Human Rights Institutions, and civil society, in general.