12/07/2021

Launch of the Child-friendly Guide to the UPR in Portuguese

On 9 July 2021, the Permanent Mission of Portugal, UPR Info and Child Rights Connect were pleased to launch the Portuguese version of “The UPR & Me: My guide to participating in the UPR” during a virtual side event at the 47th session of the Human Rights Council.

Conceived as a child-friendly tool for empowering children and youth to raise their voices in the context of the UPR, the Guide was first published in English, French and Spanish in December 2020. With over 279 million Portuguese speakers worldwide, the translation of the Guide in Portuguese - ranked as the eight most spoken language in the world – is an important step towards a greater inclusion of children as equal partners in the UPR process, making the UPR mechanism more accessible for these right-holders.

The Lusophone UPR Child Guide became a reality thanks to the dedicated work of Ms. Odete Severino Soares, Expert on the Rights of the Child, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of Portugal. As underlined by H.E. Mr. Rui Macieira, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Portugal, children’s rights are human rights; ensuring their participation at the UPR is an important step towards ensure that the rights of children and youth are not neglected.

During the online presentation, Mr. Gianni Magazzeni, Chief of the UPR Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights further highlighted the importance of translating the idea of child and youth inclusion into a greater and meaningful participation of these key actors in human rights mechanisms. Youth and CSO panellists stressed the importance of providing children and youth with adapted tools, skills and spaces for their meaningful participation. UPR Info would like to thank Ms. Oriane Schmidt, United Nations Youth Delegate of the Belgian French-speaking Youth Forum (Forum des jeunes), Mr. Eleuterio Fenita, World Vision Mozambique; Ms. Laura Chello, Terre des Hommes International Federation; and Emily, a young human rights defender from Kenya, for their contribution to the discussion.

The “The UPR & Me: My guide to participating in the UPR” in Portuguese is now available on UPR Info’s website as well as the website of the Portuguese National Human Rights Committee.

UPR Info would like to thank the Permanent Mission of Portugal and the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their support.