UN Human Rights Council to adopt recommendations on China’s human rights review

The Universal Period Review (UPR) Working Group meets in Geneva today to adopt human rights recommendations for Saudi Arabia and China.

The UPR Working Group consists of 47 Member States of the UN Human Rights Council, from Europe, Latin America, North America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. The UPR process is an opportunity to take stock of the human rights situation in all UN Member States. Since its first meeting in 2008, all 193 UN Member States have been reviewed three times.

Earlier this week, Western countries used a regular UN-backed review of China’s human rights record to highlight their concerns, including alleged human rights crimes against the Uyghurs Muslim minority group and the reported suppression of independent activists in Hong Kong.

The UN will likely try to adopt stronger and more explicit recommendations for China. In previous reviews, solutions were vague and effectively endorsed China’s existing laws and policies. Should China reject these terms, the UNHCR may use this to decide if investigations in the Uyghur region are necessary. The UNHCR may also question China’s membership in the Human Rights Council by highlighting evidence of China’s refusal to cooperate.