Uganda Prepares for 2027 UN Human Rights Review

Uganda has begun final preparations for its next international human rights assessment after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, convened a national stakeholder meeting to validate the country’s draft report under the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The validation meeting was held Friday at Mestil Hotel in Kampala, bringing together representatives from government ministries, departments and agencies, Parliament, the Judiciary, Uganda Police Force, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the Uganda Human Rights Commission and civil society organisations.

The meeting was officially opened by Ambassador John Leonard Mugerwa, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of International Legal and Social Affairs. The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs was represented by Ms. Akello Susan Apita.

The stakeholders reviewed the draft report and assessed Uganda’s progress in implementing recommendations received during the country’s third-cycle UPR review held on January 27, 2022.

The UPR is a United Nations human rights mechanism through which the human rights records of all UN member states are periodically examined. Countries are expected to report on measures taken to address recommendations from previous reviews.

Uganda is expected to submit its fourth-cycle national report in October 2026.

The country is scheduled to undergo its next UPR review during the 54th Session of the UPR Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in January-February 2027.

The validation meeting therefore provides an opportunity for national institutions and civil society actors to scrutinise the draft before its submission, with stakeholders expected to ensure that the report accurately reflects progress, challenges and measures undertaken since the previous review.

Uganda’s fourth-cycle review will provide the international community with an updated assessment of the country’s human rights situation and its implementation of commitments made during the 2022 review.