Andrea Ori, HoO Regional Office for North Africa

Cairo, 26-29 November 2012

Regional Governance Week Social Accountability in a Changing Region

The Role of OHCHR Regional Office for North Africa in supporting the UPR

Regional office for North Africa

Officially started its work in April 2012, with the mandate to:

to strengthen the national human rights capacities of governments, state institutions, national human rights institutions and civil society actors in the region on the promotion and protection of all human rights without discrimination.

Regional office for North Africa

We provide technical assistance and expertise on various human rights issues for all countries of the region

we engage with regional and sub-regional intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations

function as a resource centre for country offices, the human rights components of peace operations and the human rights officers deployed in the region.

Regional office for North Africa

Supports the Human Rights Council in the implementation of the UPR from the outset of the process to the final implementation of the recommendations.

How?

the Human Rights Council reviews the human rights situation of a country based on information provided by the:State under review,(Interministerial committee who consulted other stakeholders)

independent human rights experts (UN, special rapporteurs etc.), OHCHR led the UN Task Force on UPR, and other stakeholders including non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions (trained, coached, nurtured the CSO in preparing their contribution and in organising themselves in a coalition on UPR).

The Outcome

The outcome of the Universal Periodic Review process is a final report that contains a summary of the procedures, conclusions and recommendations, as well as the voluntary commitments made by the States under review.

These recommendations, endorsed by States, can serve to benchmark the state commitment to implement them and its accountability towards its citizens.

The UN can technically support

In developing a technical cooperation programme for the implementation of the UPR recommendations:

this assistance be identified through three different stages of the same logical process:

UPR implementation plan A National Action Plan on Human Rights The NAP supports and is part of the UNDAF

and evolves into a Technical Cooperation Programme on HR between the Government and OHCHR

The advantages of a National Action Plan followed by a Technical Cooperation Programme are multiples:

Nationally Owned

RespondsResponds to the HR basic to the HR basic principles principles of:of: Inclusiveness; Participatory Transparent, and Accountable; Takes into account citizens needs and

eventually SP’s and TB’s recommendations.

The advantages of a National Action Plan followed by a Technical Cooperation Programme that are integrated into the UNDAF Transparent and public; Open to international cooperation and technical

assistance Benchmarked; Monitored and evaluated by the UN tools Easy for donors to financially support it Socially Accountable: State, civil society,

media, UN entities in general

The Process

NAP on Human Rights

NAP on Human Rights UNDAFUNDAF

Technical cooperation program

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Q&As

Thank you

For further information,

please visit:

www.ohchr.org