Universal Periodic Review

All UN member states are required to undergo the Universal Periodic Review every four and a half years. As part of the review process, the other UN member states analyse a country's human rights situation and make concrete recommendations for improvement. The UPR is based on the report provided by the state under review, information compiled by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and information provided by civil society. 

After the third UPR cycle (2017–21), the fourth will begin in October 2022 and last until January 2027. The UPR takes the form of a dialogue during which the UN member states make recommendations to the state under review, which in turn may comment on the recommendations, accept or reject them. It is the responsibility of the state under review to implement the recommendations it has accepted at the national level.

Switzerland's UPR – official documents from each of the three reviews OHCHR

International and non-governmental organisations accredited to the UN may attend the review session. They are not entitled to take the floor but may give their opinion on the review process when the outcome document is adopted by the HRC. 

In preparation for Switzerland's fourth UPR, Switzerland prepared a report on the status of implementation of the recommendations adopted at the last review. Switzerland submitted this state report to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in October 2022. The fourth universal periodic review took place on 27 January 2023. The Swiss delegation was headed by State Secretary Livia Leu.

Statements made by Switzerland, 27.01.2023