07/01/2019

32nd session of the Universal Periodic Review

The thirty-second session of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group will be held in Geneva from 21 January to 1 February 2019  during which the next group of 14 States are scheduled to have their human rights records examined under this mechanism. 

The group of States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during this session are (in order of scheduled review): New Zealand, Afghanistan, Chile, Vietnam, Uruguay, Yemen, Vanuatu, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Comoros, Slovakia, Eritrea, Cyprus,  Dominican Republic and Cambodia. Representatives of the 14 countries are scheduled to come before the Working Group to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations as well as to assess and identify the challenges faced in the implementation of the UPR recommendations posed during their previous reviews.

Each examination, conducted by the UPR Working Group, takes 3½ hours. The State under Review (SuR) is given a total of 70 minutes to address the Working Group. This time is usually used to make introductory remarks, summarising their National Report, and to offer closing remarks once the Chair of the Working Groups concludes the interactive dialogue. The SuR can also take the floor during the interactive dialogue to both respond to questions, submitted in advance or during the review, and provide States with additional information. The remaining 140 minutes are allocated to the Interactive Dialogue of the Working Group Session, a dynamic space for peer-to-peer debate. States participating in the review, known as Recommending States (RS), have the opportunity to ask questions, note comments and, crucially, make recommendations to the SuR.

The review for each State is facilitated by groups of three Council members from different regional groups, or troikas, who act as rapporteurs. 

The timetable of State reviews and adoption and distribution of reports can be found below, as well as here.

The final outcome of the thirty-second session will be adopted by the plenary of the Human Rights Council at its 41st  regular session taking place in Geneva in June 2019.

Timetable for the Universal Periodic Review Working Group 32nd Session:
(Contains links to UPR Info’s Country page)

Monday, 21 January
09h00 – 12h30 Review of New Zealand
14h30 – 18h00 Review of Afghanistan

Tuesday, 22 January
09h00 – 12h30 Review of Chile
14h30 – 18h00 Review of Vietnam

Wednesday, 23 January
09h00 – 12h30 Review of Uruguay
14h30 – 18h00 Review of Yemen

Thursday, 24 January
09h00 – 12h30 Review of Vanuatu
14h30 – 18h00 Review of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Friday, 25 January
09h00 – 12h30 Review of  the Comoros
15h00 – 18h00 Adoption of the reports on New Zealand, Afghanistan, Chile, Vietnam, Uruguay and Yemen

Monday, 28 January
09h00 – 12h30 Review of Slovakia
14h30 – 18h00 Review of Eritrea

Tuesday, 29 January
09h00 – 12h30 Review of Cyprus
16h00 – 18h00 Adoption of the reports on Vanuatu, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Comoros

Wednesday, 30 January
09h00-12h30 Review of the Dominican Republic
14h30 – 18h00 Review of Cambodia

Thursday, 31 January
16h30 - 18h00 Adoption of of the reports on Slovakia, Eritrea and Cyprus

Friday, 1 February
17h00 to 18h00 Adoption of of the reports on the Dominican Republic and Cambodia