Prime Minister heads delegation of Samoa as its human rights record is examined by Universal Periodic Review

GENEVA (29 October 2021) – Samoa’s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the third time on Tuesday, 2 November 2021, in a meeting to be webcast live. The delegation of Samoa will be headed by H.E. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

Samoa is one of the 14 States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its upcoming session from 1 to 12 November*. Samoa’s first and second UPR reviews took place in May 2011 and May 2016, respectively. 

The reviews are based on information provided by:  

• the State under review 
• independent human rights experts and groups (known as the Special Procedures), human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities 
• national human rights institutions, regional organizations, civil society groups and other stakeholders 

The three reports that serve as the basis for the review of Samoa on 2 November can be found here.  

Location: Room XX, Palais des Nations, Geneva [NB: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting will be held using a combination of in-person and remote participation, and media representatives are encouraged to follow the proceedings on the webcast.] 

Time and date: 09.00 – 12.30, Tuesday, 2 November (Geneva time, GMT +1 hour) 

The UPR is a unique process that involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. Since its first meeting in April 2008, all 193 UN member States have been reviewed twice within the first and second UPR cycles. During the third UPR cycle, States are again expected to spell out steps they have taken to implement recommendations posed during their previous reviews and highlight recent human rights developments in the country. 

The three country representatives serving as rapporteurs (“troika”) for the review of Samoa are Brazil, Uzbekistan and Denmark. 

The webcast of the session will be at http://webtv.un.org 

The list of speakers and all available statements delivered during the review of Samoa will be posted on the UPR Extranet.  

The UPR Working Group is scheduled to adopt the recommendations made to Samoa at 15.00 on 5 November. Samoa may wish to express its positions on recommendations posed to it during its review.

*The 39th session of the UPR was scheduled for May 2021 and postponed due to COVID-19 measures.  

ENDS