Preparing for the 3rd Cycle of the UPR : A Question and Answer Session with the Chief of the UPR Branch(OHCHR)

On April 4th,
2016, the International Catholic Center of Geneva (CCIG) organized a meeting
between the UPR platform members with the Chief, Ms. Shahrzad Tadjbakhsh, and
other OHCHR representatives from the UPR Branch.

 
The goal of the meeting was to
provide information  in preparation of
the 3rd cycle of the UPR, which will start in 2017.

 
 The meeting offered the
occasion to improve platform members contribution within the UPR and to discuss
difficulties that NGOs encounter while working with this mechanism. The implementation of UPR recommendations on
the ground was also directly addressed as a main challenge for the 3rd UPR
cycle. 
 
In summary, there needs to be
greater collaboration between the NGOS, States and UN agencies in order to
better implement human rights policies at the local level. As Ms. Tadjbaksh
stated, these kind of meetings provide a great opportunity for the OHCHR to
consult with civil society and open up avenues to dialogue.