International Human Rights and the International Human Rights System A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions • key national priorities, initiatives and commitments that the State concerned has undertaken and intends to undertake to overcome those challenges and constraints and improve human rights situations on the ground • expectations of the State concerned in terms of capacity-building and requests, if any, for technical assistance and support received.107 “Additional, credible and reliable information” contributed by the NHRI is incorporated into the third document. In the first UPR cycle, the NHRI information was usually integrated with NGO information and information from “other relevant stakeholders”. In the second and subsequent cycles, however, “[t]he summary of the information provided by other relevant stakeholders should contain, where appropriate, a separate section for contributions by the NHRI of the State under review that is accredited in full compliance with the Paris Principles”.108 The summary is still limited to ten pages in total and so it is essential that the NHRI information be concise; ideally no more than five pages (2,815 words) so that it can be incorporated into the summary with little or no editing by OHCHR. OHCHR provides guidance to NHRIs on the logistics of preparing and submitting information.109 Unlike for the State report, the UPR guidelines do not prescribe what the NHRI “additional, credible and reliable information” should contain. The NHRI itself decides that. If it wishes, the NHRI can, for example: • structure its information along the same points as the list above for the State report • respond only to those issues in the State report to which it objects or with which it does not agree • identify a small number of priority human rights concerns and address those alone. Certainly, in the second and subsequent cycles of the UPR, an NHRI should deal with its State’s implementation of the recommendations of the previous cycle. OHCHR publishes on its website dates for the submission of reports and other information for each State under review.110 Usually NHRIs and NGOs are required to submit their information six months before the review and States under review are required to submit their reports three months before the review. 5.2. Interactive dialogue in the UPR Working Group The second stage of the UPR is an interactive dialogue with each State under review. The interactive dialogue takes the form of statements, including questions and answers, by the State under review, HRC member States and observer States. It takes place in the HRC’s UPR Working Group. Each State is allocated a session of three and a half hours for its interactive dialogue, with the time being divided so that: • the State under review has a total of 70 minutes for its initial presentation, replies to statements by other States and answers to their questions, and its concluding comments • the remaining time (140 minutes) is divided among member States and observer States.111 The State under review can decide to allocate its 70 minutes as it wishes. It will usually make a lengthy opening statement and then shorter responses to statements and questions and a short concluding statement. It can take the positive step of offering its own voluntary commitments in its opening statement. These are promises of human rights actions that it will implement to increase its compliance with international human rights law. An NHRI can encourage its State to develop and implement voluntary commitments in the opening statement. 107 HRC Decision 17/119; para. 2. 108 That is, NHRIs accredited with “A status” only. Other NHRIs can submit written information but it is not included separately in the compilation; see HRC Decision 16/21; Annex, “Outcome of the review of the work and functioning of the United Nations Human Rights Council”; para. 9. 109 See: www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/UPR/InfoNoteNHRIUPR2ndCycle.pdf; pp. 14–20. 110 See: www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/NgosNhris.aspx. 111 HRC Decision 17/119; para. 3. Chapter 6: Universal Periodic Review | 41