Universal Periodic Review
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4.5 years. The UPR provides each State the opportunity to regularly:
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Report on the actions it has taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights; and
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Receive recommendations – informed by multi-stakeholder input and pre-session reports – from UN Member States for continuous improvement.
Established in March 2006 by the UN General Assembly in resolution 60/251, the UPR is designed to prompt, support, and expand the promotion and protection of human rights in every country.
OSPDH inside The UPR sessions
Since its establishment, the observatory has been keen on actively participating in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process by providing parallel reports:
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May 2017, in UPR cycle 27 with a specific focus on Algeria, during the third session.
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June 2019, during the mid-term review for both Algeria and the Kingdom of Morocco.
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November 2022, in UPR cycle 41, participating in the fourth session for both the review of Algeria and the Kingdom of Morocco.
This active engagement in UPR demonstrates the observatory's commitment to promoting and protecting human rights in the region
UPR 41st Cycle
The Sahara Observatory participated in this session by submitting two joint reports:
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The first report was presented in the context of the fourth review of the Kingdom of Morocco.
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The second report was submitted for the fourth review of Algeria.
For our report presentations, the Observatory provided its submission in three languages:
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Arabic.
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French.
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English.
These reports were presented during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, which underscores the Observatory's commitment to contributing to the UPR mechanism with a multilingual approach.
Pre-Cycle Participation 41st UPR
The preliminary cycles organized by UPR Info are specifically dedicated to civil society for the purpose of disseminating findings and recommendations from their prepared reports to the Permanent Missions of countries at the United Nations Office in Geneva. This is due to the limited participation of civil society in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.
Firstly, these preliminary cycles provide both National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with an international platform through which they can communicate with representatives of countries making recommendations regarding the human rights situation in the country under review prior to the UPR.
Secondly, these preliminary cycles offer an opportunity for Permanent Missions to gather direct information about the human rights situation in the countries under review. As a result, the preliminary cycles ensure that the recommendations put forth during the UPR Working Group accurately reflect the reality of the country under review