11.9 THE UN OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS 11.10 UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW (UPR) OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is mandated to promote and protect the human rights of all persons. In an effort to mainstream minority rights, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) promotes and implements the principles contained in the UN Declaration on Minorities; cooperates with other organs and bodies of the UN, including the international human rights community, and programmes of technical assistance and advisory services; and engages in dialogue with governments and other parties concerned with minority issues. This includes efforts to close the implementation gap in the protection of the rights of minorities and the follow-up of minority-related resolutions of legislative bodies and the recommendations of the treaty bodies, the former Working Group on Minorities, and the Special Procedures, including the Independent Expert on minority issues. The OHCHR also promotes the normative framework for indigenous and minority rights; works towards increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of minority rights in the international community; through support to the treaty bodies, ensures compliance with human rights standards relevant to the protection of minorities; contributes to coverage of minority issues in the growing field presences; and works closely with interagency networks to deepen integration of minority issues into operational programmes. Finally, OHCHR strives for an increased empowerment of minorities through training and advancing the knowledge and use of human rights mechanisms. See section 6.3 for examples of opportunities for cooperation with OHCHR on minority issues. In 2006, the General Assembly adopted resolution 60/251 which decided that the UN Human Rights Council (an inter-state body) would undertake a universal periodic review of each State as to the fulfillment of its human rights commitments. All UN Member States will be reviewed by the UPR mechanism every four years. The review is based on three documents: one report prepared by the State concerned, and two OHCHR-prepared reports: a compilation of UN information (from reports of treaty bodies, special procedures and other relevant official United Nations documents), and a summary of stakeholders’ input (from NGOs, national human rights institutions, academic institutions and regional organizations). For the preparation of these three documents, which may include information on the human rights situation of persons belonging to minorities, UN entities can consider to: (i) advise States on preparing State reports in a consultative manner; (ii) send submissions to OHCHR, and/or draw attention to agency publications for OHCHR’s review, to be considered for the compilation of UN information reports; and (iii) disseminate information to stakeholders including NGOs for preparation of their input. 158 The review of a State is conducted during a three-hour interactive dialogue of the Working Group on the UPR composed of the 47 member States of the Council. After the Working Group session, the Council meets in a plenary session to consider and adopt the outcome of the UPR, which includes a report consisting of a summary of the proceedings, conclusions and/or recommendations, and the voluntary commitments of the State concerned. At the Council plenary M A R G I N A L I S E D M I N O R I T I E S I N D E V E LO P M E N T P R O G R A M M I N g