CONFLICTS Around the World
The BWA
and the Review of
Pakistan by Raimundo Barreto
The United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism created by the United Nations Human Rights Council to assess, on a periodic basis (each four years), the status of human rights in all UN member states. Pakistan was fi rst reviewed in 2008 and underwent its second
review on October 30, 2012. Civil society organizations are allowed to send a report on each country that is being reviewed
in an effort to infl uence both the written reports submitted by the state missions, and also the issues that are orally raised by the state members during the UPR sessions. NGO representatives are allowed to attend those sessions, but cannot speak. The written reports submitted by civil society organizations are circulated to the members of the working group evaluating that given country, and are summarized in a 10-page long document organized by
PAKISTAN under the microscope
Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the 14th
Pakistan was reviewed in the United session of the UPR between
October 22 and November 2, 2012. The UPR is a process that reviews the human rights records of all UN member states. The Baptist World Alliance® submitted a stakeholder report on the status of religious freedom in Pakistan to the United Nations Offi ce of the High Commissioner at the Human Rights Council. My role was to follow the review on Pakistan and to try to get contacts with delegates and diplomats both in connection with Pakistan and other contacts that can be useful for the future. I followed the review on Pakistan, read
the reports from the different UN bodies and the stakeholders, met with representatives from the Permanent Mission of Sweden and Norway, had phone contact with the Mission of Pakistan and Azerbaijan, and met with the president of the Conference of NGOs (CoNGO) and others.
10 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE According to the Pakistani government
and many other country missions, Pakistan has made substantial progress since the last review in 2008. Pakistan has ratifi ed seven out of nine major UN conventions or declarations. New human rights legislation has been added and the development of a democratic society, beginning in 2008, has continued. But still there are a lot of problems. There are discriminatory laws, such as the blasphemy law, and active discrimination continues, including violence and killing on religious grounds. Through contacts with the Pakistani Mission at Geneva, and others, we will follow up and see in what way they intend to implement the recommendations BWA and other organizations have offered. I met several key offi cials in Geneva.
The fi rst was Erling Hoem, the fi rst secretary at the Norwegian Mission, and Hege Kolhus Hansen, adviser on Pakistan at the Department for Regional Affairs and Development at the Foreign Ministry of
by Christer Daelander
Norway. The Norwegian Mission tries to give recommendation during the review on most countries. Hansen asked my advice on how Norway could best support religious freedom in Pakistan. I suggested they continue to support interreligious dialogues and give them fi nancial help to meet.
My second meeting was with Irina
Schoulgin Nyoni, minister counselor for Human Rights at the Swedish Mission. I learned from her that the various country missions in Geneva may send in questions that the country under review can chose to respond to during its opening statement. These
statements are recorded and
documented in the fi nal report of the UPR that will be adopted as a resolution. The country under review decides which recommendations to follow, which to study and which to reject. The UPR began with an opening
statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs for Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar.
Photo courtesy of Save & Serve For Christ Ministries Pakistan
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