“Promotion and protection of human rights in light of the UPR mechanism; challenges and opportunities”

37th session of the Human Rights Council

Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

26 February 2018

Distinguished President of the Human Rights Council,
Secretary General,
President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies,
Colleagues, Friends,

Almost ten years ago, on 7 April 2008, the first Universal Periodic Review began with a review of Bahrain, and a new era began. Never before had a global institution publicly assessed the human rights record of every State, identifying shortfalls and proposing remedial actions and reforms. The UPR embodies the world's recognition that human rights are not only a domestic issue; they are also a matter for international concern.

The substantive issues raised in UPR reviews often mirror the recommendations of the Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies. They form a cross-section of critical human rights gaps at the country level which, if addressed, will build more resilient societies and sustain development and peace. There is a great deal of potential for better and more focused use of human rights recommendations in system-wide action across the UN; such action will be strongly supportive of the Secretary General’s new emphasis on prevention, as well as the 2030 Agenda.

In recent years all the UN human rights bodies have made strides towards integrating our work with UN partners. Several UN County Teams have also begun sending information to the mechanisms, including the UPR. I encourage your thoughts on how best we can continue to integrate human rights recommendations into the operations of country teams, particularly given the Secretary General's announcement last month of measures to strengthen the coordination of UNCTs, with better resources to support their work.

A number of recent developments may be of interest in your discussions. In recent years my Office has devised a clustered database of recommendations by the human rights mechanisms, for use by all national authorities and UN teams. We encourage all Resident Coordinators and UNCTs to ensure these clustered recommendations in UNDAFs and programme documents signed at the country level, to assist States to achieve concrete progress both in terms of human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. I welcome your comments on how we can contribute to better use of this guidance.

Furthermore, in the course of the third cycle of the UPR, I will be addressing follow-up letters to each State, to highlight actions that will particularly support the implementation of UPR recommendations and the voluntary commitments made by States in the course of their review. These letters are public, on the Office website – and while they address actions which Government authorities and Parliaments can take, they may also be of special interest to our UN partners.

In following up human rights recommendations, members of UNCTs will have the opportunity to develop stronger relationships with national institutions and civil society movements focused on human rights. Their contributions and expertise can powerfully improve the pertinence and impact of the work of the UN on the ground.

I also urge donors, as well as the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, to support implementation of human rights recommendations, and to consider using the analysis and benchmarks which they provide in the context of periodic reviews of development cooperation. And I encourage States to reach out to the UN system, through Resident Coordinators and my own staff, with requests for assistance in implementing recommendations.

In closing, allow me to speak to the fundamental importance of human rights mainstreaming. I believe this to be crucial to our organisation, and to our broader future – as history has demonstrated, time and again, and is demonstrating still today. The core to success in our work to uphold peace and development is support for human rights.

The UN's work is often described as having three distinct pillars, but a more apt image would be closer to a triple helix. Human rights, sustainable development and peace build on each other. They have multiple points of connection, and together they create a structure which is resilient and strong.

But the fact remains that no one strand in that helix can adequately function alone.

Thank you.