The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to examine the human rights record of the Russian Federation for the fourth time under the Universal Periodic Review Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group. This examination will take place on November 13, 2023, in Geneva and will be webcast live. This review is part of the UPR Working Group's session running from November 6 to 17, 2023, during which 14 states, including Russia, will be reviewed. The previous UPR reviews of Russia occurred in February 2009, April 2013, and May 2018.
The UPR Working Group, composed of the 47 Member States of the Human Rights Council, conducts these reviews. However, all 193 UN Member States can participate in a country review. The review process is based on three primary sources of information: the national report provided by the State under review, reports from independent human rights experts and groups (including Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities), and information from various stakeholders like national human rights institutions, regional organizations, and civil society groups.
The delegation from the Russian Federation for this review will be led by Mr. Andrei Loginov, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Justice. The country representatives serving as rapporteurs for Russia's review are China, Gabon, and the United States of America.
The UPR is a peer review mechanism assessing the human rights records of all UN Member States. It has been operational since April 2008, and this cycle marks the fourth time each member state has been reviewed. During this cycle, states are expected to outline the steps they have taken to implement recommendations from previous reviews and highlight recent human rights developments within their countries.
The UPR Working Group's schedule includes adopting the recommendations made to the Russian Federation between 16:00 and 18:00 on November 17, 2023. The Russian Federation will have the opportunity to express its positions on the recommendations posed during its review.