The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), established in 2006, is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years under the auspices of the Human Rights Council. A state-driven process in essence, it also allows ample space for civil society inputs and participation at different stages of the progress. The multi-stakeholder nature of UPR is one of its great successes and it is worth bearing in mind that there is nowhere else in the human rights system where NGO information is treated on a par with UN information and a state’s national report as the 3 bases for a UN process.
For Myanmar, particularly, it is one of the few UN mechanisms that can apply pressure on the GoM to ensure it adheres to its international human rights obligations. Aware of this, EQMM has been a leading organizations in facilitating and coordinating civil society’s engagement in the UPR process in Myanmar through the Burma/Myamar UPR Forum.
To mark the start of the 38th session of the Human Rights Council today, the Burma/Myanmar UPR Forum and Equality Myanmar are glad to present this UPR Mid-Term Review Report, which contains an in-depth analysis of the situation of Human Rights in Myanmar on a variety of issues as well as an assessment on the progresses made by the Myanmar Government in implementing the 280+ recommendations received from UN Member States during the UPR 2nd cycle in 2016. The report also puts forward recommendations made by Myanmar Civil Society Groups to the Government of Myanmar on how to advance much-needed promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
