The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Syria is pleased to provide this compilation of human rights recommendations made to the Syrian Arab Republic in 2016, in the context of the second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle of the UN Human Rights Council.

The UPR is one of the largest and most effective platforms to assess the human rights situation in a given country through a peer review. It provides an opportunity for decision makers as well as civil society actors to identify key human rights challenges and the structural gaps that make it difficult to overcome those challenges.

This booklet is intended to serve as a reference for public policy officials in Syria and civil society organisations who can also use it as a baseline reference in their programming. It also addresses other stakeholders, including Member States of the United Nations as well as international donors who are interested in sponsoring initiatives that help translate UPR recommendations into concrete actions on the ground.