The Universal Periodic Review
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN Member States once every four years. The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations. As one of the main features of the Council, the UPR is designed to ensure equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed.
The Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review Working Group reviewed the fulfillment of human rights obligations by China on the morning of February 9th, 2009, during which 60 Council members and observers raised a number of issues pertaining to the human rights situation in the country.
According to Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon, President of the Tibetan UN Advocacy, "As China come under the examination by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council, several sources say that the Chinese Mission to the United Nations in Geneva is trying [to] gag UN Members, especially Western countries from raising questions on Tibet."
Nine NGO’s around the world; mrap, Fondation Danielle Mitterrand, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Society for Threatened Peoples International, Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network, The International Campaign for Tibet, Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, Tibetan Women’s Association and Tibetan UN Advocacy submitted a joint report to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. TWA also submitted a separate report to the UN OHCHR. You can read both reports below: