4th UPR cycle: contributions and participation of "other stakeholders" in the UPR
Through the Universal Periodic Review, the Human Rights Council will review, on a periodic basis, the fulfilment by each of the 193 United Nations Member States of their human rights obligations and commitments.
A review of a State is based on: (a) a national report prepared by the State under review; (b) a compilation of United Nations information on the State under review prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); and (c) a summary of information submitted by other stakeholders (including civil society actors, national human rights institutions and regional organizations), also prepared by OHCHR.
The review itself takes place in Geneva in a session of the Working Group on the UPR, which is composed of the 47 member States of the Human Rights Council. The review takes the form of an interactive dialogue between the State under review and the member and observer States of the Council. At the end of each review, the Working Group adopts an outcome document, which is subsequently considered and adopted by the Human Rights Council at a later session.
(a) Contributions to UPR documentation by “Other Stakeholders”, including civil society and national human rights institutions
The UPR process provides for the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and regional mechanisms.
Civil society actors, NHRIs and regional mechanisms can submit written information for the report containing a summary of information submitted by other stakeholders, which is considered during the review.
Accredited stakeholders can also attend and observe the session of the UPR Working Group. Accredited stakeholders can also attend , and make oral statements, during the regular sessions of the Human Rights Council when the outcomes of the State reviews are considered.
For the 4th cycle, the updated UPR Civil Society Guide has been published: English | Français | Español.
Stakeholders – civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and regional mechanisms - should follow the technical guidelines for stakeholders submissions for the 4th cycle issued by OHCHR, to send written contributions to UPR documentation. UN entities should follow the technical guidelines for UN entities’ submissions for the 4th cycle issued by OHCHR, to send written contributions to UPR documentation.
Translation of the submission guidelines:
UN Guidelines- العربية, 中文, Español, Français, русский
NGO Guidelines- العربية, Español, Français, русский
UPR - Tips for engagement at country level for NHRIs and NGOs
(Español)
The calendar of tentative deadlines for stakeholders’ submissions for the 4th cycle can be found at the following link.
Stakeholders’ submissions should be sent – according to the deadlines below - through the "On-line UPR submissions registration system" to register contributions for the UPR documentation from UN entities and stakeholders available in the following link: https://uprdoc.ohchr.org. Stakeholders should follow the Guidelines for the Use of the On-Line UPR Submissions Registration System" available in the Online system.
Important note: all UPR submissions must be submitted and received (through theOn-line system for registration of contributions) not later than the day of the given deadline (11:59 p.m. Geneva time). Late submissions will not be considered. Should organizations encounter technical problems using the Online system, please contact the UPR Submissions Helpdesk through the following email address: ohchr-uprsubmissions@un.org.
Any act of intimidation or reprisal for cooperation in the context of the UPR should be promptly reported to the UPR Secretariat (ohchr-uprreprisals@un.org) as well as to the reprisals team of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (ohchr-uprreprisals@un.org).
*IMPORTANT NOTICE: Regarding the review of the United States of America, please be informed that, in accordance with established modalities, only those organizations that contributed to the 2025 pre-session UPR reports of the USA will be invited to submit an update, as this forms part of the continuation of that exercise. No new call for contributions will be opened. The Secretariat will not admit additional organizations and will not produce new pre-session documentation. Updates provided by eligible organizations will be uploaded as appropriate.
**IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Human Rights Council decided on 8 July 2026 that the next review of Myanmar shall take place as soon as possible following a decision by the General Assembly on the question of the credentials pertaining to the representatives of Myanmar to the General Assembly, taking into account the normal UPR timelines required to prepare the review. Related contributions will not be received for the 54th session of the UPR Working Group
(b) Participation of NGO’s in the UPR Working Group meetings and the regular sessions of the Human Rights Council
How to participate in a session of the Working Group?
NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can be accredited to participate in the session of the Working Group as Observers.
Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of July 1996.
Check your NGO in the ECOSOC NGO database.
For information on how your NGO can apply for ECOSOC consultative status.
NGO Parallel Events during the 53rd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group
In view of the 53rd session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group (2 – 13 November 2026), NGOs with ECOSOC status may submit requests to organize side events at Palais des Nations through the online platform “EVENTS” which is accessible at the following link: https://events.ohchr.org.
Registration of requests to organize an NGO side event will open on Monday, 12 October 2026, at 12 noon (Geneva time - CEST) and will close on Monday, 19 October 2026, at 12 noon (Geneva time - CEST).
The States members under review during this session are: Suriname ; Greece ; Samoa ; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ; Hungary ; Papua New Guinea ; Tajikistan ; United Republic of Tanzania ; Antigua and Barbuda ; Eswatini ; Trinidad and Tobago ; Thailand ; Ireland ; United States of America.
REMINDERS:
- Given the impact of the Strategic Heritage Plan on meeting room availability at Palais des Nations, NGOs are kindly reminded that side event slots will be allocated upon availability.
- For a refresher on the online platform “EVENTS”, NGOs are reminded to consult the Technical Guidelines for the creation of NGOs’ accounts in the EVENTS platform.
- Requesting, scheduling, and managing NGO side events for UPR Working Group sessions is processed through the EVENTS platform. In particular, communication with the requesting NGO on the consideration and accommodation of its side event request, is done now on the EVENTS platform, and not anymore by e-mail. Users are strongly encouraged to consult the Step-by-Step Informal Guidance on the Registration and Processing of NGO Side Event Requests for further details.
For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact OHCHR’s Civil Society Team at: ohchr-hrcngo@un.org
For more information on civil society engagement in the UPR mechanism, please also view the UPR webpage for NGOs and the practical guidance included in the updated Civil Society Guide for UPR 4th cycle, also available in other OHCHR languages.
A Practical Guide for Civil Society: Information about accreditation, attending the session, access to the public gallery, requesting a room for an Information Meeting, documentation and resources, participation in general, as well as the technical guidelines for stakeholders submissions can be found in the Practical Guide for Civil Society [Download: العربية | English | Français | русский | Español] (PDF).