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UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW (UPR) OF COUNTRIES

NGO GUIDELINES + Deadline for Submissions for First Universal Periodic Review

 

Deadline for Submissions for First Universal Periodic Review in April 2008:

20 November 2007

 

First UPR Countries: Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom, India, Brazil, Philippines, Algeria, Poland, Netherlands, South Africa, Czech Republic and Argentina

 

UPR NGO Submissions E-Mail: UPRsubmissions@ohchr.org

 

Attached is the Fact Sheet:

WORK AND STRUCTURE OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

 

http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/upr/noteNGO_041007.htm

INFORMATION FOR NGO'S REGARDING THE UN UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW MECHANISM (as of October 16, 2007)

 

Via IWRAW  AP - http://www.iwraw-ap.org/

International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific

 

Update on NGO engagement with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), in particular for NGOs whose countries will be reviewed at the First UPR in April 2008.

 

[The reporting countries are: Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom, India, Brazil, Philippines, Algeria, Poland, Netherlands, South Africa, Czech Republic and Argentina.]

 

Deadline

Submissions should be sent by 20 November 2007 to UPRsubmissions@ohchr.org.

 

In the title of your email – indicate that this is an NGO submission and indicate the related country (ies)    (i.e. Submission by ‘name of NGO’ related to ‘name of country’ for session scheduled ‘indicate month and year’).

_________________________________________________________________________

 

 http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/

UN Human Rights Council Website Homepage

 

 

The UPR mechanism is a new innovation in the UN human rights system, under which each UN member state will be reviewed periodically - at this stage every 4 years - on its human rights record.

 

48 countries will be reviewed each year, starting in 2008. The review will be carried out by a working group composed of members of the HRC that will meet three times per year for two weeks and will be facilitated by groups of three States members of the HRC which will act as Rapporteurs (or “troikas”) appointed by the HRC.

 

There will be three types of documents on which basis the UPR will be conducted:

  1. State’s parties information in the form of a national report - in a document of not more than 20 pages.
  2. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) compilation of information contained in the reports of treaty bodies, special procedures, and other relevant UN documents, not exceeding 10 pages.
  3. A summary prepared by OHCHR of "additional credible and reliable information" received from "other relevant stakeholders" (which would include National Human Rights Institutions as well as NGOs and civil society organizations), not exceeding 10 pages. The deadline for submission of reports for the 1st UPR session is 20 November 2007. NGOs can provide written submissions for which we provide some guidelines below.

 

(1) WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS FOR THE UPR

 

Guidelines for the submission of NGO information (released by the OHCHR) is attached. In summary,

 

Format:

 

(a) Ensure your submission is within 5 pages. A more detailed and factual report may be attached for reference.

 

(b) Be sure to highlight the most critical issues of concern and express a sense of priority. Facts and details to support the priority issues, as well as possible recommendations to be made to the country under review, may be annexed for reference to the submission;

 

(c) Language of submission – It is recommended that you submit the information in English, French or Spanish. The Secretariat may not have the capacity to read and summarize contributions in other languages;

 

(d) The information covered should be a maximum of four year-time period.

 

Content:

 

You may wish to provide information on:

 

(a) The methodology and the broad consultation process followed nationally for the preparation of information provided to the UPR by the country under review;

 

(b) The current normative and institutional framework of the country under review for the promotion and protection of human rights: constitution, legislation, policy measures such as national action plans, national jurisprudence, human rights infrastructure including national human rights institutions;

 

(c) The implementation and efficiency of the normative and institutional framework for the promotion and protection of human rights described above in (b). This includes information on the implementation of the country’s human rights obligations and commitments at the national and the international levels (for example information on the implementation of commitments made by the country under review at international conferences and other UN fora; of constitutional and legal reforms aimed at protecting human rights, of national action plans, of mechanisms and remedies aimed at improving human rights); on the activities of NHRIs; on human rights education and public awareness;

 

(d) Cooperation of the country under review with human rights mechanisms, and with NHRIs, NGOs, rights holders, human rights defenders, and other relevant national human rights stakeholders, both at the national, regional and international levels;

 

(e) Achievements made by the country under review, best practices which have emerged, and challenges and constraints faced by the country under review;

 

(f) Key national priorities as identified by NGOs, initiatives and commitments that the State concerned should undertake, in the view of NGOs, to overcome these challenges and constraints and improve human rights situations on the ground. This includes, for example, national strategies, areas where further progress is required, steps regarding implementation and follow-up to recommendations made by human rights mechanisms, commitments for future cooperation with OHCHR and human rights mechanisms and agencies, etc.;

 

(f) Expectations in terms of capacity‑building and technical assistance provided and /or recommended by NGOs through bilateral, regional and international cooperation.

 

NOTE: If you have recently submitted a shadow report for CEDAW or any other treaty bodies, we recommend that you make an executive summary your report (in 5 pages) and attach your report.

 

Deadline:

 

Submissions should be sent by 20 November 2007 to UPRsubmissions@ohchr.org

 

In the title of your email – indicate that this is an NGO submission and indicate the related country (ies)    (i.e. Submission by ‘name of NGO’ related to ‘name of country’ for session scheduled ‘indicate month and year’).

 

 

 

(2) NGO PARTICIPATION IN THE UPR REVIEW IN GENEVA

 

The UPR review will be conducted in one working group composed of the 47 member States of the HRC.

 

The UPR mechanism allows for active participation and engagement from NGOs:

 

(a) NGOs may attend the UPR review in the working group;

 

(b) NGOs will have the opportunity to make general comments before the adoption of the final outcome by the plenary of the Human Rights Council.

 

 

 

 

 

 





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