KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Malaysia and others in the region participated vigorously in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process involving 126 countries, demonstrating their broad commitment to upholding human rights, said the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

OCHR Regional Office for South East Asia’s human rights officer Shivani Verma said the high level of participation also reflected a collective effort to uphold human rights standards and accountability within the international community.

"Malaysia and other countries in the region have been excellent. To date, as we look at global statistics, all 193 member states have participated in the three-year cycles since its establishment, and 126 have gone through the third cycle.

"So, it is very clear that states appear to care about the process and how their performance is reflected through it in many cases, and we see that in the context of Malaysia with UPR has resulted in a heightened communication and dialogue between the government and non-state actors, particularly in civil society actors,” she said during the panel session at Malaysia’s 4th UPR review here, last night.

She said the UPR not only provided a baseline for documentation but also triggered a self-evaluation by states, paving the way for future reviews by the Human Rights Council that has encouraged many states to engage in consistent internal reviews and inter-ministerial discussions.

While recognising that the UPR process is not without flaws, she said that there has been a rise in the participation of member states and the UN, including the UN country team, in the process.

"The other important thing that the UPR has resulted in is the triggering of a self-evaluation by states with the prospect of future review by the council, which has also allowed many states to engage in a process of internal review and inter-ministerial discussions which has now become a little bit more consistent.

"Not to say that it is not a flawless process, but I think it could be said it could maybe be suffice to say that over the years, the engagement with the UPR both by member states as well as by the UN, which includes the UN country team,” she added.

Referring to successful outcomes in Malaysia, where the government established a Matrix of UPR recommendations connected to the Sustainable Development Goals, she also pointed out similar achievements in other nations like Serbia and Kenya.

In these cases, she said the UN’s involvement resulted in positive developments, addressing issues such as gender-based violence and the expansion of population census efforts.

Shivani also emphasised the significance of the UPR process in facilitating the UN country team’s collaboration with other UN entities, contributing to the strengthening of human rights advocacy.

This collaborative effort, she said, extended to all stages of the UPR, involving the preparation of accurate submissions, systematisation of recommendations, development of international human rights strategies, action plans, advocacy with state institutions, implementation initiatives, and mobilisation of public participation.

"And I think it is important to point out that this has been the case across all regions, not just in Malaysia. We have seen it in countries like Bolivia, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Albania, and Serbia.

"Now I think coming to Malaysia, we have seen that you will find in 2018’s UPR process, it was the UN country team led by the rescue coordinator in close cooperation with OHCHR and we supported the development of a monitoring mechanism for the state for implementation of these UPR recommendations that has led to a more consultative and inclusive cooperation between the government and multiple stakeholders,” she added.

Recognising the flaws within the intergovernmental organisation, she said it is crucial to have collaborative endeavours to improve effectiveness, specifically in implementing recommendations from UPR.

Shivani also added that being an intergovernmental organisation does not make it immune to imperfections, and achieving perfection is an ongoing process.

She said when evaluating effectiveness, the focus was directed towards the UPR recommendations and the overall process and that it is important to bring attention to gaps in implementation that have emerged since the last review cycle.

"What the UN civil society and so happens in all other organisations do, it is the information, analysis and the documentation that we feed into the system, which actually helps to make it as effective as it can be and should be.

"We have all worked very collectively to bring a range of issues to the table for member states to make very concrete focused recommendations and not generic recommendations like take action to improve gender equality.

"It really requires all of us to work together to ensure that while the state has the responsibility to implement, it does not absolve us of all of the role we need today and particularly the UN,” she added.