Introduction: The regulatory power of the universal periodic review

Abstract

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is an intriguing and ambitious development in international human rights monitoring. A mechanism employed by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC), its ‘ultimate aim’ is said to be ‘to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur’. While UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon describes it as having ‘great potential to promote and protect human rights in the darkest corners of the world’, the UPR was in fact designed to shine a light equally on the human rights practices of all countries – and to ‘ensure equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed’. B..