WUNRN
UN Universal Periodic Review - UPR
May 4, 2012 - The Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) and the
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) are pleased to announce the
publication of SEXUAL RIGHTS & THE UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW: A TOOLKIT FOR
ADVOCATES. This innovative toolkit was developed as part of an ongoing
collaboration between IPPF and SRI to advance sexual rights and reproductive
rights through the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.
The toolkit can be viewed and downloaded at: http://bit.ly/GTk3tR.
The UPR mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council is
used to review each of the 193 Member States of the UN on its entire human
rights record every four and a half years. Although relatively new, it is a
powerful tool to hold governments accountable for sexual and reproductive
rights violations, and to advocate for changes to particular laws and policies
that impact on human rights related to sexuality.
This toolkit is designed to assist Civil Society Organizations
(CSOs) to bring their knowledge, expertise and experiences to an international
forum which can influence the realization of human rights where it matters
most, in the daily life of individuals in your country. CSOs do not need
to have in-depth knowledge of the UN system or human rights law in order to
participate effectively with the UPR. Knowledge and experience of national
laws and policies that affect sexual rights in your country enables CSOs to
participate meaningfully in the UPR because the UPR is all about the human
rights situations inside the country being reviewed.
In the first four years of the UPR, sexual rights advocates have
already achieved significant success. Several governments have accepted
recommendations related to sexuality education, access to abortion, female
genital mutilation, contraceptive services, sexual orientation, gender identity,
sex work, women’s rights, HIV, maternal mortality and many others.
The UPR is essentially a national process with specific moments
which occur in
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How to participate in the UPR
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Why the UPR can be important for your sexual rights advocacy
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Helpful tips to maximize your advocacy throughout the process
from sexual rights advocates who are already participating in the UPR
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A guide to navigate your country’s UPR cycle so that you can
decide how and when to engage
We hope that you will find this publication useful for your
advocacy and your feedback would be welcome. If you have never heard of
the UPR, we hope this publication will convince you of the value of your
participation.
NOTES: The toolkit was authored by Meghan Doherty (SRI), Stuart
Halford (IPPF) and Sandeep Prasad (SRI). The toolkit is currently
available only in English but is being translated into SPANISH, FRENCH and
ARABIC. Translated versions will soon be available. Once
translation is complete, the toolkit will be available in all languages on a CD
ROM.
For further information please contact Meghan Doherty meghan@acpd.ca or Stuart Halford shalford@ippf.org.
THE SEXUAL RIGHTS INITIATIVE (SRI) is a coalition of
organizations that has been advocating for sexual rights at the Human Rights
Council since 2006 and includes Action Canada for Population and Development (
THE INTERNATIONAL PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION (IPPF) is a
global service provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive
health and rights for all. IPPF is a worldwide movement of national
organizations working with and for communities and individuals.