Statement by Omar Zniber, President of the Human Rights Council, to UPR Info side event: Working all together to implement Human Rights Recommendations

Excellencies,

Dear colleagues,

It is a pleasure for me to address you during this first “post-UPR Outcome Adoption meeting”, organized by UPR Info to bring together all relevant actors to better support implementation and follow up.

Before going any further, I would like to recall that in 2022, the co-facilitators on “Strengthening and Optimizing the Universal Periodic Review in view of its 4th cycle” acknowledged that the UPR is a unique, global peer review mechanism for the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in a cooperative spirit, and at the same time more efforts should be invested in the implementation of the accepted recommendations and the provision of technical assistance to member states upon their request.

This initiative by UPR to hold post-UPR Adoption meetings provides a valuable opportunity to take stock of the specific national plans made by States to implement UPR recommendations, immediately after the adoptions of the UPR outcomes by the Human Rights Council under its agenda item 6.

The UPR process is currently in its 4^th cycle, with a focus on enhanced implementation of the recommendations that have been accepted by each State under review. If the UPR is to succeed in improving the human rights situations in-countries, Statesmust develop Implementation Plans early on, and devise new means to meet their technical and financial needs. This could be done with the growing support of recommending States – whether donors or through forms of South-South cooperation – and the UN system in-country, under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator. 

During the Council’s High-Level Panel discussion on the UPR that was held during its 52^nd session last year, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted that, with the fourth cycle having just been initiated, the universal periodic review was among the most impactful instruments to promote human rights as part of development efforts. The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that the United Nations development system and resident coordinators stood ready to cooperate with States on implementing UPR recommendations - thus advancing the Sustainable Development Goals with human rights at their core.

At the same High-Level Panel, the former Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee Ms. Susanna Moorehead emphasized that it was more important than ever before to join forces across international systems and communities to strengthen the nexus between human rights and development. Specifically, she pointed out that recommending States should explore the possibility of supporting the implementation of UPR recommendations.

These views coincide with views expressed in multiple other meetings organized on Strengthening and Optimizing the Universal Periodic Review in view of its 4th cycle, including the 6^th Francophone Seminar on the UPR held in Geneva, in 2022.

The right to development puts people at the center of the development process. At the UPR level, it is important that the process and recommendations are increasingly integrated and aligned in efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I think we can all agree that more could and should be done to support States in implementing accepted UPR recommendations. As the recommendations also reflect the views of Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures Mandate Holders, this would also strengthen national human rights protection systems.

I encourage States to take advantage of the General Debate under item 6 to share good practices, experiences, and challenges of implementation, so that they can support and learn from each other while advancing the promotion and protection of human rights.

I would like to conclude by sharing with you two other tools that could have a positive impact on the implementation process of recommendations; these are (i) strengthening of the UPR Trust funds and (ii) creating a Group of Friends of the UPR aimed to mainstream the political support to the UPR process.

I thank you.