UNA-UK has contributed to a joint civil society report - coordinated by the British Institute for Human Rights - which provides evidence on the UK's record on human rights ahead of its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
What is the UPR?
The Universal Periodic Review is a peer-review process by which the human rights record of all 193 UN member states is regularly reviewed. Set up by the UN Human Rights Council, it is a central element of the UN's human rights system and aims to hold states accountable for promoting and protecting the fundamental freedoms of their citizens.
What is UNA-UK doing?
UNA-UK has already submitted evidence on the UK's human rights performance to a joint civil society report, coordinated by the British Institute for Human Rights. The report compiles evidence from over 200 civil society organisations and will be sent to the UPR Working Group at the Human Rights Council ahead of the UK's review next Spring. The Working Group may raise some of the recommendations put forward in this report during the UK's UPR.
View UNA-UK's submission to the joint report
UNA-UK will also be submitting an independent report to the Working Group at the end of September. This is an important opportunity for UNA-UK to set out their three priorities for improving UK leadership on human rights.
In its report to the UPR Working Group, UNA-UK will call on the UK to:-
Strengthen the international human rights system by signing up to key international human rights agreements
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Set an example at home by bolstering, not weakening, UK human rights law
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Raise international standards by retaining human rights as a priority in UK foreign policy
The joint report incorporated UNA-UK’s concerns over the increasingly negative narrative surrounding human rights in UK politics and in the media, as well as the risks UNA-UK have highlighted over the planned replacement the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights in undermining the credibility of a universal human right system.
Building on the UK’s human rights legacy
From the landmark Magna Carta in 1215 to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the UK has an impressive track record of being at the forefront in developing international human rights standards.
The UK has played a key role in UN human rights since its inception
- Baroness Anelay, Minister for Human Rights, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
As the UK is currently running for re-election to the Human Rights Council in 2017, it is in an opportune position to further strengthen the UN’s human rights machinery and to re-establish its commitment to human rights as a top UK priority.
