Minority rights focus in the United Nations 23 written statements to the Council ahead of a given session; make oral interventions during all substantive items of the Council agenda; participate in interactive dialogues with special procedure mandate-holders; and organize “parallel events” on issues relevant to the work of the Council.28 In addition, the President of the Human Rights Council and its secretariat hold regular NGO briefings throughout the sessions. NGOs in consultative status should request accreditation for their representatives to attend Council sessions and meetings of other United Nations bodies, pursuant to procedures set forth by the Economic and Social Council and the bodies themselves. These procedures are not onerous, but complying with them does require a certain degree of planning and prior notification. While lack of consultative status can be a serious impediment for those wishing to work within the United Nations system, it is usually relatively easy to consult with accredited NGOs and provide them with information. Collaboration among NGOs is common, and many statements to the Council are delivered jointly by a number of NGOs. Several Geneva-based NGOs which can assist with practical arrangements as well as advice on how to participate most effectively in Council meetings are listed at the end of this chapter. Perhaps the best known international NGO focusing on minority issues is the London-based Minority Rights Group International (see annex II). Universal periodic review The universal periodic review (UPR) was mandated in 2006 by General Assembly resolution 60/251, which created the Human Rights Council. The resolution instructed the Council to “undertake a universal periodic review, based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfilment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States”. A year later, the Council adopted an “institution-building package” which remains the guide for its work.29 This package details the specifics of the universal periodic review – a unique mechanism that emphasizes State responsibility to respect and implement human rights and fundamental freedoms. The universal periodic review is a State-driven process of peer review of the human rights situation in every State Member of the United Nations. After its first four-year cycle it was extended to every four and a half years. It is substantively based on human rights obligations contained in the Charter of the United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and human rights instruments to which the State is a party. The principles on which the universal periodic review is based include establishment of “a cooperative mechanism based on objective and reliable information and on interactive dialogue” with the State under consideration and promotion of the “universality, interdependence, indivisibility and interrelatedness of all human rights”. In addition, it is designed not to be overly burdensome on States and not to absorb “a disproportionate amount of time, human and financial resources”. It seeks the “improvement of the human rights situation on the ground”, enhancement of State capacity and cooperation, thus offering an opportunity to highlight the situation of persons belonging to minorities in a country and advocate for the implementation of their rights. The timing of a review depends on when the Member State was reviewed in the first review cycle.30 The review is conducted in two stages. The first consists of a three-and-a-half-hour oral dialogue with the State in an open-ended working group of the Council. Discussion is based Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society, pp. 90–94. 28 Resolution 5/1; see A/HRC/5/21. 29 The order of review in the second cycle (2012-2016) is available from www2.ohchr.org/SPdocs/UPR/UPRFullCycleCalendar_2nd.doc (accessed 29 November 2012). 30