UNAMI HRO workshop on UPR with religious and ethnic component groups

UNAMI Human Rights Office held a workshop aimed at strengthening the engagement of Iraq’s religious and ethnic component groups with the next Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Iraq, which is scheduled to take place in early 2025. The UPR is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a periodic review of the actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights.
39 participants (29 women and 10 men) attended the event, including members and representatives of Iraq’s religious and ethnic component groups, faith leaders, and representatives of the IHCHR and civil society.
During the workshop UNAMI Human Rights Office gave presentations on the Universal Periodic Review mechanism and provided guidance on how non-governmental organisations can prepare and submit ‘stakeholder reports’ for consideration under the UPR process. Participants held focus group discussions on Iraq’s implementation of previous UPR recommendations and identified key issues for inclusion in these reports.