What is the UPR?
Ireland's Human Rights Record under Scrutiny in October 2011
Draft Report of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Ireland available here (external link)
Have Your Say
Ireland has committed itself to promoting and protecting human rights. These are the rights and freedoms to which all people are entitled. As part of its committment to human rights, Ireland must report on a regular basis to the United Nations (UN) on the extent to which it is meeting its international treaty obligations.
In October 2011, Ireland's record on human rights will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The Irish Public and civil society can have a say on that record.
The UPR is a new process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 Member States once every four years. The ultimate aim of the UPR is to improve the human rights situation in all countries.
Under this new and innovative review process:
- Ireland will report on its record on all human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural.
- The Human Rights Council examines that record and recommends steps to strengthen human rights on the ground in Ireland.
Who can have their say?
The UPR process allows the possibility for everyone to give their input on Ireland's human rights record, through contributing to reports which will be prepared by the IHRC, community and voluntary organisations and wider civil society.
Three reports will be used by the United Nations in the Review:
- State Report prepared by the Government
- Report prepared by the UN itself
- Report compiling the views of 'stakeholders', including the National Human Rights Institution (the IHRC), community & voluntary organisations and wider civil society.
How can the IHRC help you have your say?
A) We invite you to contribute to the IHRC Report
The IHRC, as Ireland's National Human Rights Institution, will submit its own report for the UPR process. To inform our report, the IHRC welcomes contributions from the Irish Public and its other stakeholders. Submissions for consideration in our report should be made to the IHRC by 14 February 2011.
- Members of the Public can write to us outlining their human rights concerns at upr@ihrc.ie
- Stakeholders are also invited to submit their views for consideration in the IHRC's Report at upr@ihrc.ie
B) We will support you to write your own report to the UN
If you wish to submit a report directly to the UN, the IHRC can support your organisation to take part in the process. The IHRC is holding a number of regional UPR briefings in January/February 2011. The purpose of these briefings is to provide community and voluntary organisations, wider civil society, trade unions, academic institutions and student groups with information about the process and how organisations can prepare a report to send to the UN.
The IHRC is also available to provide advice or assistance to colleagues in other Statutory Bodies who may wish to submit information for this process.
How can the IHRC help you prepare your UPR report?
The IHRC can provide information on UPR guidelines and report preparation.
We have compiled a sample UPR Report template with examples to assist you in preparing your UPR report and a template for your own report.
Report Size
- Maximum of 5 pages for individual organisations
- Maximum of 10 pages for groups of organisations.
Reports to UN should be submitted to uprsubmissions@ohchr.org by 11am on 21st March, 2011.
Find Out More about the UPR
To learn more about Ireland's participation in the UPR process, please see UPR Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which detail:
- the process for the Universal Periodic Review
- timeline for Ireland's appearance
- how to get involved and who to contact for further information.