Jordanian Human Rights Actors committed to inclusive 3rd UPR

On 07. and 08. February 2018, some 50 participants joined the civil society submission workshop, co-organized by UPR Info and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) at the Dead Sea, Jordan. The event brought together an important cross-section of UPR actors, including: the Government of Jordan; the National Centre for Human Rights; civil society organizations and coalitions; media representatives; grassroots activists; the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The purpose of the two-day workshop was to build capacities on how to prepare quality civil society submissions ahead of Jordan’s third UPR (November 2018).

The two-day workshop was opened by Mr. Basel Tarawneh, Human Rights Government Coordinator of Jordan. Mr. Tarawneh welcomed the role of civil society in Jordan's UPR, and emphasized the Government's willingness to maintain a participatory and collaborative approach.

Highlights of Day 1 included a panel session to discuss the progress and challenges since Jordan’s second review. The panel speakers included the National Centre for Human Rights (Jordan’s A-status national human rights institution [NHRI], and representatives from several Jordanian civil society coalitions. This discussion, moderated by FES, offered a good overview of the status quo of human rights in Jordan, including what areas needed prioritization in Jordan’s third UPR. Following the discussion, the next training session brought together representatives from the OHCHR and the UNDP, with each presenting their role in supporting the national UPR process. As the OHCHR was represented by its regional office in Beirut, the participants benefitted from a thorough presentation delivered in Arabic describing comprehensively its role in the UPR. For its part, the UNDP delivered a compelling and timely presentation on linking the UPR with Agenda 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Day 2 of the workshop was particularly hands-on from the perspective of civil society, which included thematic breakout sessions to work on civil society-suggested SMART recommendations. The participants identified four thematic umbrella clusters to strategies on particular human rights issues: 1) Civil and political rights; 2) Socio-economic rights; 3) Marginalized people; and 4) Justice. The groups' rapporteurs presented the draft recommendations during the plenary feedback session, which covered a broad set of issues including: the rights of migrant workers; nationality laws; the rights of refugees: jurisdiction of torture cases; and the rights of persons with disabilities.

FES and UPR-INFO will continue to support all UPR stakeholders in Jordan's third review, to keep momentum throughout the full cycle.