The session
On Wednesday, 17 June 2026, Every Woman convened a two-hour virtual training session for nine coalition members from Sudan, Syria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, all of whose countries are under review at the 54th session of the Universal Periodic Review in January 2027. The session was led by Amjad Chatila, Diplomacy Coordinator, with Zainab Ali Khan, Deputy Director of Coalition, as co-lead.
Why it mattered
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a peer-review mechanism through which UN member states hold each other accountable on human rights, and one that offers civil society a direct route to voice their lived experiences towards shaping national laws. Every country in the world is reviewed approximately every 4.5 years; when governments accept recommendations, those commitments become formal entry points for legislative and policy change on violence against women and girls.
The 54 UPR Working Group session is scheduled for January 2027 and will include the reviews of Haiti, Iceland, Lithuania, Moldova (Republic of), Myanmar, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela (Bolivian Republic of), and Zimababwe. With Civil Society Stakeholder Submissions due in July 2026, the June training marks the stepping stone in leveraging the UPR submissions to End Gender-based Violence
The Training
The training was designed to equip participants with a practical understanding of the UPR process. From how submissions are structured to how to write specific, evidence-based recommendations that governments are more likely to accept and implement. Participants were coached on the SMART recommendation framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Result-Oriented, Time-Bound) and walked through live demonstrations of the OHCHR UPR Extranet and the UPR Info database, where they could trace their governments’ existing commitments and identify outstanding obligations.
Key Takeaways
- Most coalition members were encountering the UPR for the first time, having previously engaged primarily through CEDAW (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) shadow reporting processes
- Working in country-based groups helped members develop shared priorities for recommendations while fostering connection and sisterhood across the coalition.
- The UPR is a proven mechanism for advancing stronger laws and policies on violence against all women and girls, as demonstrated by Nigeria’s Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
Testimonials
“It was an eye opener that surely our voices are needed to do more for my country, Uganda.” – Joanita Nakiwala, Uganda
“I did not know anything about the UPR, but I learned a lot during the session. I am of the opinion that sessions like this are essential to work, especially if we are going to participate in activities like the UPR!” – Anonymous
“I learnt about the UPR process, which was a whole new thing to me altogether.” – Janet Tatenda Bhila, Zimbabwe
Every Woman will continue to support coalition members as they develop and refine their recommendations ahead of the July submission deadline that aims to increase the implementation of survivor-centred solutions to address gender-based violence and ensure governments prioritise and fund these solutions.
