Background Information on the Universal Periodic Review

As part of the reform efforts culminating in the creation of the UN Human Rights Council in 2006, Canada was a leading proponent of an initiative to review the human rights performance of every United Nations (UN) member state on a regular basis.

The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 60/251 (2006), mandated the Human Rights Council to: “Undertake a universal periodic review, based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfilment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States; the review shall be a cooperative mechanism, based on an interactive dialogue, with the full involvement of the country concerned and with consideration given to its capacity-building needs; such a mechanism shall complement and not duplicate the work of treaty bodies.”

The Universal Periodic Review began on April 7, 2008. Three UPR sessions are held each year, with 16 countries reviewed per session. Over the next four years, all 192 UN members will undergo their review before the Council.

Preparations for the UPR

The state under review prepares a 20-page report in advance of the review, complemented by two 10-page reports from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The OHCHR's reports consists of a ten page compilation of information contained in reports of treaty bodies, special procedures, and other official UN documents, and a ten page report summarizing information received from relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions.

General Guidelines for the preparation of these reports were adopted in September 2007.

The UPR Process

Reviews are conducted in Geneva by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council meeting as a working group. Each review is facilitated by a “troika” of three Council members. Each review lasts three hours and is conducted in the format of an interactive dialogue between Council members and the reviewed state. States that are not members of the Council (observer states) can also participate in the interactive dialogue.

Outcome of the UPR

A report of the review is adopted approximately two working days following the review. This report contains a summary of the interactive dialogue, followed by a listing of recommendations and/or conclusions made during the interactive dialogue. The state under review has the opportunity to submit additional comments or responses before the Human Rights Council convenes its next plenary session. At the next plenary session, an outcome document is adopted which contains the aforementioned report, additional comments and replies submitted by the state under review, including its views on the recommendations made during the review, as well as its voluntary commitments. 

Order of Review

The schedule for reviews was selected by random draw in September 2007, and is available here (website available in English only).

Civil Society Participation

Civil society organizations can contribute directly to the UPR process by submitting input to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which is compiled into a ten-page summary for the review. NGOs wishing to submit information for consideration and possible inclusion by OHCHR in the summary of stakeholders' information should send their contributions to: UPRsubmissions@ohchr.org

Civil society organizations can observe but cannot intervene during the interactive dialogue at the review itself. However, they can intervene at the HRC plenary session where the UPR outcome is discussed and adopted.

For further information on civil society participation in the UPR, please visit:

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