15/09/2021

Strengthen Your Advocacy Skills through the UPR!

The ultimate goal of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is to ensure progress on human rights on the ground in each UN member state. Although it is often described as a State-driven process, civil society organizations (CSOs) have a critical role to play in contributing to the success of the mechanism. To support CSO engagement in the UPR, UPR Info has developed a series of videos to assist these stakeholders in identifying entry points for their human rights advocacy throughout the process.

The first video, entitled "The UPR and CSO Advocacy", introduces the UPR and provides an overview of how civil society can contribute to the process through advocacy. As important sources of first-hand information, human rights defenders can inform recommending states of the human rights situation in their country and encourage the formulation of SMART recommendations. Following the Review, their advocacy is crucial to monitoring the implementation of recommendations and holding states accountable to their commitments.

Amid the Covid 19 pandemic, the opportunities for human rights advocates to meet with states, UN agencies, the media and other stakeholders to raise awareness on human rights challenges have significantly reduced. In the absence of face-to-face meetings, CSOs have adopted new strategies to advocate around the UPR of their country. The second video, entitled "Digital Advocacy for the UPR ”, provides examples of how civil society can engage in digital advocacy to adapt to this new environment.

Despite positive developments over the last 60 years, the worldwide promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights remains a challenge. The third video, entitled "Promoting Economic, Social and Cultural Rights through the UPR", informs of the ways in which civil society can use the UPR to promote and protect ESC rights. The video provides tips and advice to illustrate how some actions taken within the framework of the UPR can contribute to assess and raise awareness on human rights violations.

Advocacy is all about obtaining the human rights we all deserve. Watch the videos to learn more about how to promote your rights through the UPR.

This project was realized thanks to the support of the Permanent Mission of the United States and the Permanent Mission of Germany.