The Universal Periodic Review, also commonly referred to as the "UPR", is a peer-review process by which each Member State of the UN is reviewed against their human rights commitments and obligations by other States, approximately every 5 years. All human rights norms can be raised within the UPR, including emerging issues.
(subtitles available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese)A PDF of the Transcript is available here.
For more information about the process, you can visit the OHCHR webpage or the UPR Info website.
To keep track of when your State is being reviewed and when you should engage, take a look at the page “UPR process - UPR by country” of the UPR Info website.
You can also find all the documentation related to your country’s review on the OHCHR website (national report, compilation of UN information, compilation of stakeholders’ reports, recommendations made to your States and responses to recommendations).
If you want to track recommendations made to your States, the UPR Info Database is a useful tool that you can use to sort recommendations by States or issue addressed. You can also join the UPR Extranet to get up-to-date information.
The UPR is one of the most accessible mechanisms of the UN. As a human rights defender, you can engage at almost every stage to push for change in your country.
Find out more with the relevant resources below.
