Following-up on the side event organised in June 2023 on the “Contribution of legal professions to the work of the Human Rights Council and its Universal Periodic Review (UPR)”, this year the panel will discuss the next steps, and focus more specifically on the role played by the judiciary. In particular the implications, in terms of implementation of the recommendations, of enhancing awareness of the judiciary.
More specifically, the objective of this year event will be to understand the role that judges can play in the UPR process to promote and protect human rights and enhance the implementation of human rights monitoring mechanisms’ recommendations.
The side event will represent an opportunity for UPR stakeholders to reflect on how the HRC could take more steps to engage with judiciary and which could be strategic entry points.
Lastly, the event will also represent an opportunity to present the “Tips to enhance judicial engagement with the United Nations Universal Periodic Review” (the Tips). The Tips were conceived and drafted by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) in collaboration with UPR Info, and the International Association of Judges (IAJ), endorsed by the Human Rights Platform of the Geneva Academy and the organisation Judges for Judges. The Tips are aimed at supporting governments and other actors to engage the judiciary in the UPR process. They highlight the importance of following up – also at judicial level – recommendations of the UPR. The tips aim also at raising the awareness of the judiciary of recommendations supported as its role may help advance implementation. The overall aim is to ensure implementation of the UPR recommendations at domestic level.
The discussion will address the following questions:
- What is the role of the judiciary, why it can be important for the successful implementation of the UPR recommendations?
- How the judiciary can better use the UPR as an important methodological and interpretive tool for protecting human rights?
- How can UN members States promote the role of the judiciary in the UPR process?
This one-hour panel discussion is open to representatives from Member States, experts, and interested civil society organizations.
Speakers are invited to prepare 7-minute interventions. A moderated questions and answer period will follow.
Co-sponsors Judges for Judges, International Association of Judges, Human Rights Platform of the Geneva Academy, Geneva Bar Association, International Commission of Jurists