The NGO coalition is made up of civil societies that will submit inputs on the country’s human rights situation.
Palau’s human rights situation will be up for review for the first time in 2011.
The coalition will submit a separate report on the human rights record of Palau.
The NGO report’s deadline is on Nov. 1 with the South Pacific Communities continuing to provide technical support by reviewing drafts.
Palau will be reviewed at the 11th session of the UPR Working Group to take place at the UN Office in Geneva in May 2011.
The UPR National report meanwhile is due on Feb. 1, 2011. UPR will address human rights obligations as set out in the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights instruments such as treaty bodies, voluntary pledges and commitments by the State, and applicable international law. The UPD will base findings on three items, namely; report from the State under review, which can be in the form of a “national report”, information from stakeholders such as civil societies and human rights institutions; and information contained in independent human rights reports and human rights treaty bodies such as Convention of the Rights of Children, Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and Rights of the Migrant Workers.
The coalition are composed of civil societies that will conduct reports on the plight of the migrant workers, freedom of expression, freedom of the press and other rights that are under threats that the government will not be able to cover in their report.
The report can also include the vulnerability of stakeholders in Palau.
UPR is a relatively new procedure that seeks to review the human rights record of all 192 United Nations member states once every four years.
The SPC will also help the NGO representatives attend the UPR in Geneva and hold side events.
//
