The United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review process (UPR) is the only global human rights mechanism scrutinising the record of all states. By the end of 2016, all states will have been through their second UPR review conducted by the UN Human Rights Council. The third series of reviews will begin in spring 2017. It’s a good moment, therefore, to take stock: what has the UPR achieved, and how can it be improved?
The UPR was established to move away from the allegations of selectivity and bias that tainted the old Commission of Human Rights; it is universal not only geographically but also thematically. The human rights record of every UN Member State is discussed in an open 3.5 hour meeting, and recommendations are made—the state under review must eventually indicate which of those it accepts. The UPR itself strengthens the other UN human rights mechanisms, where recommendations call for States to issue standing invitations to the Special Procedures, to ratify international treaties or to submit overdue reports to the treaty bodies.
A study conducted by UPR Info on the level of implementation of recommendations in 165 countries concludes that one in two recommendations were either fully or partially implemented three years after the UPR review. Concrete examples of how the UPR has advanced human rights on the ground include Fiji’s abolition of the death penalty, Côte d’Ivoire’s implementation of a law for the protection of human rights defenders, the Seychelles and Nauru lifting a ban on same-sex activities, and China reducing the number of crimes carrying a death penalty.
