The universal periodic review (UPR) is a state-driven mechanism of the human rights council (HRC) aimed at improving the human rights situation on the ground of each of the 193 united nations (UN) member states. Under the UPR process, the human rights situation of all UN member states is reviewed every 4.5 years. The result of each review is reflected in a final report containing all the recommendations the state being reviewed commits to implementing before the next cycle.

Given the strong reflection of human rights values and standards and the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development with its corresponding set of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), which will guide global and national development action for the next 15 years, the UNDP Regional Hub in Amman has produced a series of factsheets that provide a quick overview of the status of UPR recommendations and International Human Rights Treaties in 19 Arab States.

Each factsheet include a few accepted recommendations from each country’s previous UPR cycle, and aligns each recommendation with a related SDG. These selected recommendations aim to emphasize the relationship between the UPR and the achievement of the 2030 agenda. Only accepted recommendations have been included, so that the factsheets also present entry points for governments to work to achieve the SDGs. In addition, the factsheets include information on each country’s timeline of the UPR cycle and its action on core conventions.