Your Excellency,

On behalf of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, I am writing to you regarding the 53rd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.

In 2005 heads of state and government unanimously affirmed the responsibility of states to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. Under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), each state has the primary responsibility to protect its population, while the international community has a responsibility to assist. As we mark the HRC’s 20^th anniversary in 2026, the UN human rights system remains a critical foundation of the international protection architecture. Strengthening engagement with this system, including through the UPR, is vital to sustaining early warning, accountability and prevention capacities across the UN.

The UPR is a key mechanism for assessing each country’s preparedness to protect human rights and prevent mass atrocities. During the 53rd session of the UPR working group, I therefore encourage you to provide states under review with the following recommendations, where applicable:

• • • Expeditiously appoint an R2P Focal Point – a senior government official responsible for advancing atrocity prevention at the national, regional and international level;
    • Sign, ratify and implement core instruments of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law (IHL);
    • In line with R2P’s Pillar II, request support from other states and regional and international organizations when atrocity risks cannot be addressed nationally;
    • Ensure national security forces respect human rights and IHL and fulfill their responsibility to protect all populations within their territory, regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or any other status;
    • Support accountability for atrocity crimes and all relevant institutions of international justice;
    • Issue open invitations to HRC-mandated Special Procedures and fully cooperate with all other HRC mechanisms and procedures;
    • Protect human rights defenders and the media, and ensure civil society can operate freely, safely and independently;
    • Use the Framework for Action for the Responsibility to Protect to assess gaps and identify opportunities to address national atrocity risks.