May 2020 Session of the UPR Working Group is postponed

Given the current situation with the spread of COVID-19 and the emergency measures that have been taken by affected countries around the world, including the host country, Switzerland, the Bureau of the Human Rights Council decided that the 36th session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), scheduled from 4 to 15 May 2020, will be postponed to 2 to 13 November 2020 - the dates currently scheduled for the 37th session of the UPR.

"This decision is the most responsible course of action we can take in these unprecedented circumstances, and it allows for equal treatment of all States in the UPR process," said Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, President of the Human Rights Council.

"States and civil society have invested a lot of time and energy in the human rights reviews that should have taken place in May. We want to ensure that they can engage constructively and in a secure environment to enable the best possible results for the benefit of all rights holders in the 14 countries that will be reviewed during this session," she added.

The 37th session of the UPR Working Group will therefore be postponed to January 2021, at the dates currently envisaged for the 38th session of the UPR. All subsequent sessions of the UPR will be postponed accordingly, meaning that the last session of the UPR 3rd cycle will take place in January 2022.

The deadlines for the submission of National Reports and other reports for the 37th session of the UPR and all subsequent sessions will be adjusted accordingly. In particular for the submission of the "Report of other stakeholders" for the 37th session of the UPR, the new provisional date is 9 July 2020. You can consult the OHCHR website at this link to check the other deadlines.

The troikas for the 37th session of the UPR will be re-selected at an organizational meeting in January 2021, due to the fact that the composition of the Council will change until the 37th session.

For more information, you can consult this link.