UPR mechanism is to be a cooperative mechanism, based on objective and reliable information, and equal treatment of all States. The review process is to fully involve the State under review, while at the same time not be overly burdensome for States. It should not duplicate the work of the treaty bodies.

The novelty of the mechanism offers NGOs and governments an opportunity to shape it, including through the establishment of good precedents. The UPR offers an opportunity to address in the UN’s principal interstate human rights body country situations that were never the subject of action by the Commission on Human Rights.

According to the already established timetable, Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the agenda of the HRC during its Seventh Session scheduled for February 2010. It means that all the relevant reports, including the reports of NGO's and from the Government, are to be submitted by September 2009. Before that, Human Rights House of Sarajevo together with other civil society actors, will create a broad NGO informal coalition in order to discuss the Human Rights’ issues with the state authorities and to prepare their own report. Therefore, there is a necessity and opportunity to organize country wide public debates on the human rights issues.

The civil society actors, namely the NGO informal coalition for the UPR will also be in charge to lobby the members of the HRC and relevant international NGO's in order to raise the most important issues during the UPR process aiming also at having concrete and clear recommendations for the BH authorities.

Finally, once the UPR process is concluded with the adoption of the HRC report and recommendations, the NGO UPR Informal Coalition will monitor its implementation until the next UPR cycle in 2014.

Aims of the project:

• Creation of a broad NGO informal coalition with approximately 200 NGO's from all the parts of the country;
• Broad public debate on human rights issues;
• Establishment of a regular dialogue with BH authorities and National HR institutions;
• Ratification of the relevant international HR instruments by the BH authorities and harmonization of the BH legislation with the international standards;
• Improvement of the human rights record in BH.

Expected results:

•  The improvement of the legal framework for the protection of human rights in the country;
• Education of members of  human rights and other concerned NGO's for the UPR process and for the human rights mechanisms within the UN system in general; capacity building of concerned NGO's;
• Establishment of a regular dialogue with state authorities and NHI based on partnership;
• The sensitization of the public opinion to human rights issues;
• Improvement of the human rights situation in the country in general.

Timetable of the UPR project activities and text on the already implemented activities regarding UPR process in B&H, are available for download.