Engaging With The Universal Periodic Review

UPR

• The non-governmental organization UPR Info provides support, training, and resources on the UPR process and how to effectively engage with it, including a database of all recommendations. For more information, visit: upr-info.org (available in English, French and Spanish)
• University students can apply to participate in Model UPR organized annually by the Human Rights Centre of the University of Padova, in English. For more information about the Model UPR including eligibility requirements and registration, visit: Padova Model Universal Periodic Review
• Check when the most recent review took place and when the next review of your country, or the country or countries whose UPR you are interested in engaging with will take place.
• Consult the most recent UPR report and the recommendations put forward to the State under Review to check whether any recommendations explicitly mention youth, or if any human rights issues you are interested in are specifically addressed. All UPR documentation is available for each State at: ohchr.org/hr-bodies/upr/documentation; where you can consult the Report of the Working Group, available under ‘Outcome of the Review’.

Note: 2022 marked the end of the third UPR cycle and beginning of the fourth cycle, which means all States have been reviewed three times.

It is possible to get involved with the UPR at any stage, whether before, during or after the Review takes place.

A. Get involved and participate before the review

• Participate in the national consultation: prior to your country’s review, try to engage in the national consultation that States should hold to inform their preparation of their national report. This information is not always widely available but you can contact the government Ministry leading this process.
• Submit your own information: prepare and submit a report on the key human rights issues facing young people in your country. Submissions can be made by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs); make sure to follow the information and guidelines for other stakeholders (NGOs), available at: ohchr.org/hr-bodies/upr/ngos-nhris
• Work in partnership to submit information: consider forming or joining a coalition with key partners and other civil society organizations in order to prepare a joint submission.
• Contact Member States: ahead of the review, you can conduct advocacy with Member States to raise awareness of the human rights concerns for youth in your country and encourage them to make recommendations.
  ○ In your country: Member States may obtain information from their embassy in the State under Review. Some embassies may even convene meetings with stakeholders including civil society in order to collect up-to-date data and information on the human rights situation.
  ○ In Geneva: You can contact States’ Permanent Missions to the UN in Geneva to share your recommendations. Alternatively, you may also opt to send a short, one-page document with key highlights and your most important recommendations via email. Details of States’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva can be found via the Blue Book, available at: https://www.ungeneva.org/blue-book (Note: the Blue Book is only available in French).
  Tip: to better understand how to develop recommendations and language that is most impactful, and how to approach Member States, familiarize yourself with the resources mentioned previously, including the UN Human Rights UPR Guide for Civil Society (English) and the information and resources provided by UPR Info (English, French and Spanish).
• Apply to participate in the UPR Pre-session: approximately one month before the review, the non-governmental organization UPR Info runs a one-hour pre-session for other Member States to hear from civil society and other stakeholders. If you have submitted an NGO/civil society report for the Review, you can apply to be a speaker at the pre-session. The pre-session also offers an opportunity to approach Member States with your recommendations, even if you are not speaking on the panel. More information about the pre-sessions is available at: upr-info.org/presessions (in English, French and Spanish).

B. Follow and spread the word during the review

• Follow the review online, and consider organizing a live screening of the webcast for government, youth, civil society, the media and other key stakeholders. The review is broadcast live at: media.un.org
• Search for the report that is issued a few months after the review, which contains the recommendations to the State and is made available online at ohchr.org/hr-bodies/upr/documentation (search for Report of the Working Group, available under ‘Outcome of the Review’).

C. Get involved and participate after the review

• Follow up with your government, including regional and national stakeholders. You can use UPR recommendations to advocate towards your government and relevant Ministries as well as local and regional administration for legal and policy change domestically. These recommendations can also be used for monitoring and follow-up nationally and locally to track progress. When the next Review is approaching, take stock of any developments in case you want to repeat the cycle.