Guinea-Bissau brainstorms on UPR recommendations

30 Mar 2015

Guinea-Bissau brainstorms on UPR recommendations

26 March 2015 - UNIOGBIS today supported the Ministry of Justice to organize and hold a one-day workshop on the recommendations made by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

In January 2015 Guinea-Bissau went through the second cycle of the UPR. However, the country has neither accepted nor rejected the recommendations made during the exercise and need to get back to the Human Rights Council on its decision on these recommendations. It is towards this end that the workshop was organized.

Its main objective was to analyze and help the Government decide on the 151 recommendations made during the second UPR. It was an opportunity for participants to help the Government of Guinea-Bissau to respond to the Human Rights Council on recommendations that are relevant to Guinea-Bissau's Human Rights context and can be accepted and those perceived not to be relevant and which can be rejected.

The workshop ended with the recommendation to accept most of the recommendations. However, those related to the ritual crimes committed on persons with albinism raised the question on the extent to which such crimes are committed in Guinea-Bissau. In this regard the workshop recommended an investigation in consultation with the National Association of peoples with albinism before a decision is taken on recommendations related thereto.

The meeting was held at the conference room of the Ministry of Justice and was attended by 60 participants including both State and non-State actors.

Guinea-Bissau will have to report on the status of implementation of recommendations it accepted at the third UPR which will be scheduled for 2019.

UPR is one of the mandates bestowed upon to the Human Rights Council, by all UN Member States in the General Assembly, in Resolution A/RES/60/251 of 3 April 2006 which established the Human Rights Council. It is a unique process involving a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States every four years.