The 42nd session of the Universal Periodic review begins on the 23rd of January 2023. The working group session will take place from 23 January to 3 February 2023. 13 Countries will be under review during the session: Czechia, Gabon, Benin, Switzerland, Argentina, Ghana, Guatemala, the Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Sri Lanka and Zambia. In collaboration with our partners, the SRI collaborated on reports for Guatemala, Japan, Pakistan, Switzerland and Zambia.
The 41st session of the Universal Periodic review begins on the 7th of November 2022, and this session marks the beginning of the fourth cycle of the UPR. The working group session will take place from 7 November to 18 November 2022. 14 Countries will be under review during the session: Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, India, Brazil, Philippines, Algeria, Poland, Netherlands and South Africa. In collaboration with our partners, the SRI collaborated on reports for South Africa, India, Poland and the Netherlands.
The Romanian Constitution guarantees equal treatment of all citizens before the law and public authorities, without any privilege or discrimination. This includes explicit reference to sexual orientation as a protected ground, and legal protection against hate crimes. Despite this, Romania is not respecting, protecting and fulfilling a broad range of rights related to sexuality and gender, particularly as pertains to sexual and reproductive health and rights. This failure is marked by an inability to provide adequate access to contraceptives, the lack of accessibility and availability of abortion services despite abortion being legal in the country, and the failure to invest in HIV/AIDS programming to prevent new cases in the country.
The 42nd session of the Universal Periodic review begins on the 23rd of January 2023. The working group session will take place from 23 January to 3 February 2023. 13 Countries will be under review during the session: Czechia, Gabon, Benin, Switzerland, Argentina, Ghana, Guatemala, the Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Sri Lanka and Zambia. In collaboration with our partners, the SRI collaborated on reports for Guatemala, Japan, Pakistan, Switzerland and Zambia.
The 43rd session of the Universal Periodic review begins on 1 May 2023. The working group session will take place from 1 to 12 May 2023. 14 Countries will be under review during the session: France,Tonga, Romania, Mali, Botswana, the Bahamas, Burundi, Luxembourg, Barbados, Montenegro, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Liechtenstein and Serbia. In collaboration with our partners, the SRI collaborated on reports for Romania and Botswana.
2. This report is jointly submitted by nine (9) national, regional, and international civil organizations striving to promote SRHR. It highlights ongoing issues concerning SRHR in Japan with a focus on six (6) topics: access to contraceptives including emergency contraception, access to safe abortion, redress for victims of forced sterilization, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE), law reform of the crimes of sexual violence including rape, and universal access to comprehensive sexuality education.
In this joint submission, we examine the Government of South Africa’s human rights record since its third-cycle universal periodic review (UPR) in 2017. Specifically, we assess the government’s fulfilment of adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights. To this end, we analyse South Africa’s implementation of recommendations received relating to these issues and provide specific, action-orientated follow-up recommendations at the conclusion of this submission. Between the 9th and 10th of March 2022, 15 youth led, serving and focused organizations in South Africa convened in person and virtually to deliberate on how COVID-19 has affected the HIV, SRHR and GBV/F outcomes of adolescents and young people in their diversity.
This report is submitted by Rutgers and the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) and focuses on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights in The Netherlands. In general, SRHR in the Netherlands are well respected, however, challenges remain with regards to the provision of comprehensive sexuality education, the persistence of sexual violence and access to information, education, contraceptives and services for marginalized groups.
young people continue to face challenges and need to get more involved in order for these commitments to materialize. The adolescent fertility rate remains high, at 65 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 years, contraceptive prevalence rate is currently 46.2%, and high levels of teenage pregnancy is reported as 100 per 1,000 with associated high levels of unsafe abortion. These figures indicate a need for a review of and improvements to sexual and reproductive health and family planning services in Seychelles. Young people are also among the most vulnerable regarding Gender-Based Violence as substantial proportions are victim of sexual abuse. Moreover, these gaps are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent us from reaching our full potential.
In response to the Special Rapporteur’s call for contributions, SRI made a submission locating the impact of COVID-19 on the right to sexual and reproductive health within a broader context of racial capitalism, patriarchy, colonialism, ableism and austerity.
The SRI collaborated on submissions for Eswatini, Hungary, Samoa, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Papua New Guinea for the 39th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session.
UPR Submissions 35th Session
40th Session of the Human Rights Council
Country: Argentina
Collaborators: SRI, Akahata
Key Words: Maternal Mortality; Abortion; Contraception; Gender-Based Violence; Sexuality Education
Country: Guatemala
Collaborators: SRI, Colectiva Mujeres en Resistencia
Key Words: Gender-Based Violence; Violence Against Lesbian Women
Country: Pakistan
Country: Belize
Collaborators: SRI, United Belize Advocacy Movement
Key Words: Sexual orientation and gender identity; Human rights; Right to education; Discrimination; Sexual and reproductive rights; HIV/AIDS; Stigma.
Country: China
Collaborators: SRI
Key Words: Sexual orientation and gender identity; Right to freedom of expression; Right to education; Right to health.
Country: Malaysia
UPR Submissions - 19th session
UPR Submissions - 22th session
Country: Brazil
Collaborators: SRI, Ipas
Key Words: Legal abortions, contraception, sexuality education and information on sexual and reproductive health and rights, zika
Country: Ecuador
Collaborators: SRI, Taller Comunicación Mujer
Country: Guatemala
Collaborators: SRI, La Colectiva Mujeres, Derechos Sexuales
Key Words: Violencia de género, Violencia sexual, Embarazos no deseados en adolescentes y jóvenes, Derechos humanos de niñas y adolescentes, Femicidios, Acceso a la Justicia, LGTBI
Country: Ghana
Collaborators: SRI, Sisters of the Heart, Centre for Popular Education Human Rights in Ghana (CEPEHRG)
Country: Chile
Collaborators: SRI, Organizando Trans Diversidades
Key Words: Identidad de género; orientación sexual; personas trans; reasignación registral; discriminación; violencia; acceso a la salud; educación y trabajo. C
Country: Macedonia
Collaborators: SRI, Margini Coalition, Reactor, Health Education and Research Association
UPR Submissions - 33th session
Country: The Gambia
Collaborators: SRI, Women In Liberation and Leadership, African Men for Sexual Health and Rights
Violence and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression
Country: Kazakhstan
Collaborators: SRI, The Legal Center for Women’s Initiatives “Sana Sezim”
Domestic violence, sexual and reproductive rights, comprehensive sexuality education, access to SRH services
Country: Grenada
Collaborators: SRI, GrenCHAP, Gorundation Grenada
Key Words: LGBT People, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, discrimination based on SOGIE
Country: Guyana
Collaborators: SRI, Society Against
Key Words: Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) LGBT People, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, discrimination based on SOGIE
HRC30 - Agenda Item 6 Universal Periodic Review – Belarus
UPR Submissions - 23th session
Country: Lithuania
Colaborators: SRI, Family Planning, Sexual Health Association of Lithuania
Key words: access to contraception; access to abortion; comprehensive sexuality education; youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services; sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
Country: Lithuania
Colaborators: SRI, National LGBT* Rights Organization LGL Sexual, ILGA-Europe
ANNUAL DISCUSSION ON INTEGRATION OF A GENDER PERSPECTIVE
27th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
Statement by Action Canada for Population and Development
15th September 2014
UPR Submissions - 8th session
Country: Cambodia
Collaborators: SRI, People Health Development Association
Key Words: Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Young People; Sex Work; Sexual Violence; Sexual Transmitted Infections; HIV; Human Rights of Women; Discrimination Against Women; Gender-Based Violence
Country: Costa Rica
Collaborators: SRI, Mulabi-Costa Rica
UPR Submissions - 5th session
UPR Submissions - 3rd session
UPR Submissions - 1st session
Human Rights Council – 31st session
Item 6: Universal Periodic Review Outcomes: Lebanon
Statement by Action Canada for Population and Development
In his Preliminary observations during a Country visit to Croatia from 28 November to 6 December 2016, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Mr. Dainius Pūras, recognized the importance of sexual rights stating “…I would like to underline that sexual and reproductive health rights are human rights.
The year 2014 was meant to be the year that ended the Program of Action adopted by the Cairo Conference for Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994. The document was a paradigm shift in understanding and framing reproductive health and rights and prioritizing individuals’ rights to choose and make decisions with regards to their own bodies.
The 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from June 18 to July 6, 2018. Below you will find information on some of the key sexual rights related resolutions, oral statements and annual discussions. All of which the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) was engaged with during the session.
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Find out which human rights recommendations were accepted, noted or deferred by Haiti, Iceland, Lithuania, Moldova (Republic of), South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), and Zimbabwe during the latest UN Universal Periodic Review.
The 26th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held at the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, from 31 October-11 November 2016.
HRC33 Statement: Stop Using Women’s Bodies as the Battlefield!
Joint Statement and Call for Action for the Polish Parliament to Examine the Right to Access to Safe and Legal Abortion
During the 49th session of the Conference on Population and Development (CPD) in New York, the Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) officially launched the National Sexual Rights Law and Policy Database. Simavi spoke with Meghan Doherty and Neha Sood, Policy and Advocacy officers with SRI partner Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, about the importance of this database and how it could support local communities to improve their sexual rights.
The SRI joined more than 50 NGOs in calling upon the U.N. Human Rights Committee to elaborate on the measures States must take to realize women’s right to life, including by guaranteeing access to safe and legal abortion, and other sexual and reproductive health services. The joint statement is below.
Distinguished Committee Members:
The 22nd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) will take place at the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, from 4 – 21 May 2015.
The 21st session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) will take place at the UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, from 19 – 30 January 2015.
Fourteen countries will be reviewed during the session, including: Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Guinea, Lao Peopl’s Democratic Republic, Spain, Lesotho, Kenya, Armenia, Guinea-Bissau, Sweden, Grenada, Turkey, Guyana, Kuwait
The Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) collaborated with national NGOs and activists in four countries up for review to prepare five stakeholder submissions:
The Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) is pleased to announce the publication of the UNFPA report Lessons From the First Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review: From Commitment to Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
Developed by the UNFPA and based on research and analysis conducted by Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD) on behalf of the SRI, the report examines the role the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism can play in advancing the realization of human rights related to sexuality and gender at the global, regional and country levels.
Alongside the ongoing 26th session of the Council, the Sexual Rights Initiative, in partnership with, Ipas, Amnesty International and UNAIDS, hosted a parallel event examining the interplay of the criminalization of sexuality and reproduction with the international human rights framework.
World leaders on women’s reproductive rights draft ‘Airlie Declaration on safe legal abortion’
To commemorate the 2013 Global Day of Action for the Decriminalization of Abortion (September 28th), the Sexual Rights Initiative organized an event that took place during the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council to discuss the realization of women’s human rights, specifically women’s right to access safe and legal abortion, including through the decriminalization of abortion. Being one of the first events on the topic at the Council, it represents a ground-breaking moment in its history. Widely attended by over 30 representatives from Member States – making up half of the audience, UN agencies, civil society, women human rights defenders and academics, they assessed the human rights implications of the criminalization of abortion and explored strategies to strengthen government accountability and responsibility in respecting, protecting and guaranteeing women’s reproductive and human rights.
The Sexual Rights Initiative and partners co-sponsored a side event at the 20th session of the Human Rights Council focusing on criminal laws and women’s right to health. The objective of the event was to provide a forum for States and stakeholders in Geneva to discuss the key findings and recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health’s 2011 report to the General Assembly on the criminalization of sexual and reproductive health including abortion.