Law experts at Birmingham City University (BCU) are helping to meet the challenges of safeguarding human rights around the world by contributing to globally significant reviews for the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council.
Led by Dr Alice Storey, Dr Amna Nazir and Professor Jon Yorke, researchers in BCU’s Centre for Human Rights are ensuring that governments from the 193 UN member states make changes to domestic laws based on recommendations from the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
The UPR is a mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council that assesses the human rights records of all UN Member States every four and a half years.
It provides an opportunity for states to declare the actions they have taken to fulfil their human rights obligations and to receive recommendations from other countries to improve their practices.
Dr Alice Storey and PhD student Melisa Oleschuk have produced a report on Empowering Civil Society Organisations at the UPR, which was funded by the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust.
It aims to empower civil society organisations (CSOs) to strengthening the domestic implementation of UPR recommendations.
Dr Alice Storey explained: “CSOs play a significant role in advocating for human rights and holding governments to account.
“By understanding their experiences in engaging with the UPR process, we can identify challenges they face and opportunities for improvement.
“Empowering these organisations can lead to more effective monitoring and implementation of UPR recommendations at the national level, creating a more robust human rights framework.
“Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to a more transparent, accountable, and inclusive human rights system that benefits individuals and communities worldwide. Implementation of the study's findings will lead to significant and REF-eligible impact.”
Research for the report included an online survey and semi-structured interviews to collate the experience of CSOs that engage with the UPR.
The findings suggest actions that can be taken by key actors within the UPR – including CSOs, the UN and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, governments, and other UN member states – to empower CSOs.
The report was launched at an event hosted by UPR Info, by a panel including the researchers and civil society representatives who shared their experiences of engaging with the UPR:
- Tamás Dombos, Project Coordinator at Háttér Society, Hungary.
- Michael Kanyingi Kimuhu, Founder and CEO of MICOP CBO, Kenya.
- Gilbert Onyango, Founder and Executive Director of EACHrights, Kenya.
- Ms. Ntsikie Loteni, National Secretary of the National Albinism Task Force, South Africa.
This promoted thought-provoking discussion, where connections were made between organisations and support from various sources was offered, immediately achieving one of the key aims of the study – to empower CSOs at the UPR.