Human Rights in Democracy Centre, focal point of WAVE, participates in the UPR lobbying and other UN advocacy (side event presentation) in Geneva
On March 10– 14, 2019, Human Rights in Democracy Centre, a grassroots Albanian NGO which aims to work for promotion and protection of human rights in Albania teamed with dedicated team of Advocates for Human Rights, USA and directly engaged in lobbying and advocacy activities at the UN level regarding Universal Periodic Review along with colleagues from Ethiopia, Cote D’Ivoire and Russia.
Albania will be reviewed on May 2019 in the 33rd Session of the Universal Periodic Review. Prior to Geneva lobbying activity, HRDC and Advocates for HR prepared the Albania Stakeholder Report for the United Nations UPR called “Domestic Violence situation in Albania’ – 2018.
HRDC role to UN advocacy was to lobby with Council’s members by advocating for the local implementation of human rights standards and law, and to plea on Albanian government to fully respect, protect and fulfill the human rights under the umbrella of international law and agreements.
In this time span, HRDC carried out approx. 25 meetings with Human Rights Council‘s members with whom we shared information about general situation of women rights, and domestic violence in Albania – our concerns and lobbied with them about the recommendations that we suggest they make to Albanian state in the UPR review in May.
On Wednesday, March 23, Advocates for Human Rights along with the team including United Oromo Voices, Alternatives Cote D’Ivoire presented for the Parallel Events at the Palais de Nations. Panelists discussed about human rights abuses as well as the issues of upcoming Universal Periodic Reviews – including domestic violence situation in Albania.
This UN Advocacy experience was indeed very successful as HRDC was able to meaningfully engage over 25 states to advocate recommendations to be put to Albania during its upcoming UPR review in May 2019. If such recommendations will be taken into account, undoubtedly they will help improve the conditions of women/girls, victims/survivors and effective protection of their rights.
Source: https://www.hrdc.al/index.php/en/news/57-albania-stakeholder-report-for-the-united-nations-universal-periodic-review