DUSHANBE, October 3, 2011, Asia-Plus — This year, Tajikistan undergoes examination under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) for the first time.
Tajikistan is undergoing examination at the 12th session of the HRC’s Working Group on the UPR that is taking place in Geneva today.
The live broadcast of a report by Tajik government delegation on the human rights situation in the country is being held at the Vefa Business Center in Dushanbe today, from 12:30 to 16:00.
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 UPR was created through the UN General Assembly on March 15, 2006 by resolution 60/251, which established the Human Rights Council itself. Currently, no other universal mechanism of this kind exists. The UPR is one of the key elements of the new Council which reminds States of their responsibility to fully respect and implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The ultimate aim of this new mechanism is to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur.
The objectives of the UPR are: the improvement of the human rights situation on the ground; the fulfillment of the State’s human rights obligations and commitments and assessment of positive developments and challenges faced by the State; the enhancement of the State’s capacity and of technical assistance, in consultation with, and with the consent of, the State concerned; the sharing of best practice among States and other stakeholders; support for cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights; and the encouragement of full cooperation and engagement with the HRC, other human rights bodies and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Tajik delegation, consisting of ten persons, is led by Minister of Justice Bakhtiyor Khudoyorov. The delegation will report on fulfillment by Tajikistan of its international obligations in the field of human rights over the past four years.
