Ombudsman represented at the Universal Periodic Review of Portugal at the UN

The Ombudsman was represented by Sofia Duarte, head of the Law and International Relations Office, at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Portugal before the United Nations Human Rights Council, which took place on 6 November in Geneva.

During this evaluation, Portugal received recommendations from other UN member states, some of which were in line with concerns already raised by the Ombudsman.

As a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) accredited with ‘A’ status by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), the Ombudsman has played an active role in this process, providing observations and recommendations on the human rights situation in Portugal. In April, he submitted an alternative report and, in August, he took part in the pre-session of this 4th evaluation cycle. The final phase of this review will be completed in 2025, with the approval of the final report of recommendations by the Human Rights Council.

The UPR is one of the Human Rights Council’s main monitoring instruments, to which all United Nations member states submit, and is characterised by an interactive dialogue between the country being assessed and its peers. This is the fourth examination that Portugal has undergone, the previous one having taken place in 2019.