Step up action on UPR

Details

21.03.2013

21 March 2013 – Kyiv - “30 Steps to Effectiveness: Using the Universal Periodic Review for Protecting and Advancing Human Rights”, a practical manual designed for the region of Eastern Europe and CIS states, was presented.

The publication’s main goal is to encourage a more proactive stance by human rights civil society organizations and journalists in relation to the Universal Periodic Review mechanism. It is also designed to equip them with the tools to do that effectively.

Overall, it seems that the UPR mechanism has been underused by human rights defenders in the region and especially by the media, whether because of low awareness or simply caution about a new international instrument. While Ukrainian experience shows that participation of the civil society in preparing submissions for the UPR and forming coalitions  to promote the human rights messages is on the rise (with four times as many organizations participating in the second cycle of the Review as the first one), the engagement of journalists with the mechanism has been  less emphasized. This is especially unfortunate as the media are not merely informers but are seen as value-shapers and potent agents of change – of the mindsets and actions of individuals in the society.

With these ideas in mind, the manual offers 30 steps — concrete actions and approaches — that can be taken by human rights activists and journalists to make the most of their participation in the UPR.  The manual is one of the first to create an alloy of national experiences and global smart practices, and to specifically emphasize the cooperation of the two driving forces behind an effective UPR process and follow-up -- the CSOs and journalists.

“30 Steps” is broken down into four main sections. The first gives a brief introduction into the foundations of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) as an international and national instrument of human rights oversight and promotion.

The second part of the manual deals with practical advice for CSO activists on forming coalitions, preparing alternative submissions, partaking in the national consultations on the national report, lobbying the recommendations and shaping effective follow-up plans on the recommendations that the State has accepted for implementation.

The third section dwells on the same issues but from the point of view of human rights journalists, offering suggestions on themes that can be highlighted in articles, news-pieces and talk-shows, and on strategies of effective interaction with the CSOs for mutually strengthening synergies.

The fourth section, in this vein, highlights the experience of Ukrainian activists and journalists during the second UPR cycle from the beginning of 2012 until March 2013 when Ukraine adopted 145 recommendations from peer-countries. Ukraine’s experience has been meticulously collected, analyzed, documented and joined with the best practices that have been set out by Western researchers, practitioners and activists. Throughout the manual, links to documents, web-portals, databases and other resources are offered.

The publication was developed in the framework of UNDP project “Leveraging change through the Universal Periodic Review”, funded by the British Embassy in Kyiv.