The 48th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has commenced at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, with the Maldives scheduled to participate in discussions to review and enhance global human rights practices.
This session will continue for a period of two weeks and conclude on 31 January 2025. During this period, the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review Working Group will examine fourteen States. The States to be reviewed during this session are Angola, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, San Marino and Slovenia.
The Maldives delegation for the 48th Session of the UPR will be led by Dr Salma Rasheed, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations Office at Geneva. She will be accompanied by Counsellor Adam Hamid, Counsellor Aminath Shifaya Ibrahim and Attaché Raaidh Saeedh, from the Permanent Mission. In line with the government’s key policies and priorities, the Maldives delegation will actively engage and provide constructive recommendations during this UPR Session.
The UPR Working Group holds three sessions annually. The Fourth Cycle review of the UPR began in November 2022 and will conclude in 2027.
The UPR is a State-driven process which involves a review of the overall situation of human rights of all UN Member States. This UN mechanism provides the States under review with the opportunity to report on the progress made in fulfilling their human rights obligations and commitments. It also allows fellow Member States to offer constructive recommendations on how the States under review can further improve the implementation of their human rights obligations. Each State review is further facilitated by groups of three States, known as “troikas”, who serve as rapporteurs during this process.