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The Permanent Representative of Lithuania, Ambassador Andrius Krivas, spoke on four occasions at the 31st session of the Working Group of Universal Periodic Review, which is being held in Geneva on 7 – 16 November 2018.

Lithuania recommended Mexico to protect freedom of expression by effectively prosecuting perpetrators of attacks against journalists and human rights defenders, to consolidate efforts in promptly and impartially investigating all instances of gender-based violence and enforced disappearances of women and girls, to strengthen cooperation with independent experts and NGO’s in fight against gender-based violence. Lithuania encouraged Jordan and Malaysia to ensure free exercise of freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, to ensure respect for women’s and girls’ human rights and to fully outlaw gender-based discrimination and child, early and forced marriages. It was recommended to the Central African Republic to address sexual and gender-based violence, to promptly and impartially investigate attacks against journalists and to bring perpetrators to justice. Lithuania also called on Jordan and the Central African Republic to abolish death penalty and recommended Malaysia to ratify all core international human rights treaties.

The UPR is a human rights mechanism employed since 2008. The UPR assesses the human rights situation in each individual country and provides recommendations for improvements. At the end of each UPR cycle, UN Members produce reports about the implementation of the adopted recommendations and overall progress in the area of human rights. Countries undergo the UPR every five years. Lithuania had its first review in 2011. In 2017, its second-cycle UPR report got adopted.