Engaging parliaments in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council

On 3 October 2024, an online briefing on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism of the Human Rights Council was held for Commonwealth Parliamentarians. The event was organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The UPR allows national Parliaments to enhance their own human rights protection system through proactive engagement with an international human rights mechanism. 

The briefing aimed to enhance Parliamentarians' awareness of the UN Human Rights Council’s UPR and the need for their involvement at all stages of the cycle. It also provided an opportunity for Parliamentarians to share their experiences of such participation and contribute to building a community of practice of Parliamentarians and the UPR. 

17 Parliamentarians and 7 parliamentary officials/clerks from 12 jurisdictions attended the event. These included CPA members Belize, Canada, Cyprus, Malaysia, Malta, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Reflecting on the event, the CPA Deputy Secretary-General, Mr Jarvis Matiya, said:

“Parliaments are key to safeguarding human rights, ensuring government accountability and advancing the implementation of UPR recommendations through their legislative and oversight functions. By engaging fully in the UPR process, they can turn global human rights commitments into national realities." 

Parliaments – in particular parliamentary Human Rights Committees – are central to the UPR process throughout all stages. Parliamentary action – passing laws, overseeing government action etc. – are the primary mechanism for implementing these recommendations. 

The Commonwealth Legislators were welcomed by: 

• Jarvis Matiya, Deputy Secretary-General, CPA 

• Guillaume Ngefa, Chief of the Universal Periodic Review Branch, OHCHR 

• Rogier Huizenga, Manager of the Human Rights Programme, IPU 

As part of the briefing, attendees took part in sessions including ‘Overview of the UN Human Rights Council and its Universal Periodic Review: opportunities and challenges’ hosted by Jeroen Klok, Human Rights Officer, UPR Branch, OHCHR; ‘Examples of parliamentary involvement in the UPR process’, moderated by Rogier Huizenga, Manager, IPU Human Rights Programme and featuring a panel of Hon. Samina Zehri, MP (Pakistan), Hon. Wong Chen, MP (Malaysia) and Hon. Lord Alton of Liverpool, Member of the House of Lords (UK). Clive Barker, CPA’s Head of Strategy and Engagement moderated the final panel, ‘The way forward – Follow-up and building a community of practice.’ The panelists for this session included Jeroen Klok, Rogier Huizenga and Sneh Aurora, CPA Consultant.