... March 2012 will allow further discussion and debate on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Syria which is of highest concern for a number of countries. Also significant is the fact that the first cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which has been hailed as the “crown jewel” of the Human Rights Council, would be completed during this current session.
The contributions of individual member states have been crucial in moving the Council forward and, as a member of ...
... Thailand’s commitments and voluntary pledges declared in its candidature for membership of the Human Rights Council (HRC) for the term 2010-2013. In addition, as part of the Thailand’s review under the HRC’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in October 2011, Thailand announced a number of voluntary pledges, which included signing the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The Convention will enter into force for Thailand after its ...
... the quality of recommendations. And we should be realistic that many countries, despite the best of intention, do not have the capacity to implement sometimes over a hundred recommendations. Capacity building must therefore be part and parcel of the UPR process.
The voluntary mid-term update is also important. It should not be about giving score cards. Rather, it should provide impetus for better implementation by helping to identify areas where countries have constraints and need assistance and ...