Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) in partnership with CIVICUS, PEN Nigeria and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) held a Universal Periodic Review (UPC) follow-up meeting for Nigeria in Abuja on May 20, 2014.
The meeting was a follow-up consultation which brought together human rights defenders and civil society activists from the country to deliberate on the recommendations made to, and accepted by, the Nigerian government during its October 2013 review. Nigeria experienced its first Universal Periodic Review process in February 2009 and the second in October 2013.
The aim of the follow-up meeting was to identify strategies to monitor the implementation of recommendations made to the government during the last UPR review; identify ways of monitoring the government’s compliance with the recommendations; form a coalition among civil society organisations to engage as a collective in future UPR processes in Nigeria; produce a report on the strategies and monitoring mechanisms agreed to during the consultations; and deiscuss the status of government’s mass surveillance project(s) within the context of compliance with UPR recommendations.
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was established through UN General Assembly resolution 60/251 passed on 15 March, 2006, which also created the UN Human Rights Council. This resolution mandated the Council to “undertake a universal periodic review, based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all State.”
A report on human rights situation must be submitted by every country under the review approximately 6 months before the review is conducted. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) can submit information as part of the process which can be added to the “other stakeholders” report, which is considered during the review.
The reviews are conducted by the UPR Working Group which consists of the 47 members of the Human Rights Council, although any UN member State can take part in the discussion with the reviewed States.
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a social enterprise that connects Nigerian youth with ICT-enabled opportunities.
