How does the UPR work
There are five steps in the UPR process.
Step 1 Reports are Prepared
Three documents on the human rights situation in Ireland are prepared.
Every country under review is required to prepare three documents prior to the UPR session. This includes:
1) State Report submitted by the Irish government. (20 pages)
2) Summary of UN Information compiled by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of information contained in the reports of treaty bodies, special procedures, and other relevant official UN documents. (10 pages)
3) Summary of Stakeholders' Information prepared by Civil Society, NGOs and National Human Rights Institutions and compiled by the OHCHR. (10 pages) This is created from reports sent in by the National Human Rights Institutions (IHRC) and NGOs and Civil Society (5 pages for individual organisations; 10 pages for groups of organisations).
The deadline for submission of these reports is 11am on 21st March 2011.
These three documents are published about 8-10 weeks before Ireland appears at the UN.
Step 2 Ireland appears before the UPR Working Group
Ireland appears before the UPR Working Group at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on 6 October 2011. The review of Ireland's human rights record, based on the 3 reports published in step 1, above, takes place in Geneva before the UPR Working Group. The review consists of three hours of questions and answers between the Irish Government and other countries.
10 working days in advance of the session, any country can submit any questions that they wish to make to Ireland. This gives the Irish Government time to prepare responses in advance.
Advance questions and recommendations are provided to the 'troika' for the country. The troika is made up of three Ambassadors from other member states who are assigned to facilitate the review process for a country. Troika members are selected from countries that are members of the Human Rights Council.
During the session, the Irish Government introduces its report and which should set out issues including:
a) the domestic human rights framework
b) measures taken to promote and protect human rights in Ireland
c) human rights issues of particular national concern and d) steps taken to address and redress violations of human rights.
The Irish Government will also respond to the questions or recommendations that were provided in advance.
States under Review - in this case Ireland - often outline voluntary pledges and commitments about actions they intend to take to better protect human rights back home countries include in their initial presentation before the Working Group.
Any UN member state can then ask questions and suggest recommendations to the country under review in the remaining time.
Step 3 The UPR Outcome Document on Ireland is prepared
48 hours after the hearing in Step 2, a report, known as the UPR Outcome Document, is drafted. The report is prepared by the troika, in consultation with the Irish Government, and with the assistance of the OHCHR.
Outcome Document
- summarises the discussions at the UPR Working Group session (Step 2) and sets out recommendations made during the review, the responses to these by the Irish Government, and any voluntary commitments made by Ireland
- is formally presented to the UPR Working Group in-session, with half an hour for discussion.
- Ireland has the opportunity to make preliminary comments on the recommendations and identify whether it accepts or reject any of them. All recommendations are, however, included in the report.
Step 4 Ireland's UPR Outcome Document is adopted by the UN Human Rights Council
Three months after the UPR Working Group Session, the UPR Outcome Document on Ireland then has to be adopted formally at a Plenary Session of the Human Rights Council.
At the Human Rights Council's Plenary Session, Ireland will have an opportunity to reply to questions and issues that were not sufficiently addressed during the Working Group session. Ireland will also respond to the recommendations made in the Outcome Document, indicating which recommendations it will adopt and implement and which ones it will reject and why.
At that plenary session, any other country has the opportunity to express their opinion on the outcome of Ireland's review. Similarly, NGOs and other stakeholders may also make general comments about the Outcome Document on Ireland. NGOS are allowed 20 minutes (2 minutes each) to do this during the Plenary Session. NGOs who wish to speak must sign up on the morning of the Plenary - NGOs are granted speaking rights on a first come basis.
Step 5 Follow up processes
The UPR will recur on a four year cycle. Ireland is due to appear before the UPR for a second time in 2015. At that time, the Government will be held to account for how it has implemented the recommendations that it accepted from the initial review and will also be expected to address human rights issues that have emerged in the meantime.
The outcomes of the UPR review are also likely to be considered in other UN processes, such as when Ireland appears before human rights treaty committees.
The Government can also make progress reports to the Human Rights Council on how it is implementing the UPR outcomes whenever it chooses. NGOs and the national human rights institution in the country can also make progress reports at the Human Rights Council to reflect positive developments as well as concerns about lack of progress in implementation.