How ILGA engages in the Universal Periodic Review

ILGA acts as liaison between grassroots human rights organisations and the United Nations, and facilitates their work within the UPR of their country.
We are there for human rights defenders in each stage of the process.

Before the session

• providing personalised technical guidance on NGO’s submissions/reports
• doing assessments on in-country advocacy with embassies in the specific countries
• organising SOGIESC UPR Advocacy Weeks in Geneva.
  On such occasions, our staff assists human rights defenders in the preparation of advocacy papers, supports them as they draft oral statements to be delivered during the UPR-Info pre-sessions, facilitates meetings with diplomatic missions, and trains defenders on how to strategically conduct advocacy in Geneva.

During the UPR Working Group Session

• monitoring each session, but also highlighting and sharing the relevant SOGIESC content with defenders

During the Human Rights Council adoption of the UPR Working Group Report and Addendum

• assisting on drafting oral statements for the adoption of the UPR outcome (Item 6)

After the adoption of the report

• advising on advising on how to implement the UPR recommendations and exchanging good practices with NGOs
• supporting the drafting of mid-term reports by NGOs.

But that is not all: ILGA also organises trainings on the Universal Periodic Review. On these occasions, we provide general information on the UPR, and offer advice about how to write submissions, make in-country and Geneva advocacy, and implement recommendations.

ILGA was more than useful for us: the support on the drafting of the submission, the in-country advocacy, the preparation of the meetings in Geneva was so great. (…) I think we are very lucky to begin our international advocacy work as a coalition with this experience that ILGA offered us

This is how LGBTI human rights defenders
describe their work with ILGA during the UPR process