Mozambique has ratified most international and regional human rights instruments and mechanisms that define the human rights normative standards. Implementation on the ground has however lagged. Advocacy for policy and law reforms to bring the national legal framework in line with international best practices in promoting and protecting human rights is necessary. Human rights related to vulnerable groups and minorities such as women, children, people with disabilities, sexual minorities, albinos, prisoners, and local communities have largely remained unrealized. The UPR mechanism was created through the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by resolution 60/251, which established the Human Rights Council itself. The UPR is a unique mechanism of the UN, which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States. The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations. It allows states to review and make recommendations for human rights development in other states once every four to five years and receive recommendations in turn. While the UPR is a State led initiative, CSOs are through this process provided with a crucial opportunity to directly engage and cooperate with the government on pressing human rights issues. During the 1st cycle of UPR 2011-2015, the Government of Mozambique accepted 161 recommendations out of a total of 169. An Action Plan for UPR was then developed and implemented by the Government which had an Operational Matrix of the UPR recommendations as a tool to monitor, evaluate and report. In 2013, when the Government presented the mid-term review, the report concluded that the implementation progress was of about 49% of the recommendations. The Final Report submitted to the UNHRC in 2016 concluded that the achievement on the implementation was of about 90%, with the remainder in progress status. However, there was a sense among CSOs that the Indicator of Success presented by the authorities as well as the parameters were not realistic and due to lack of parallel or shadow monitoring system by the civil society, the results presented by the government could not be questioned. Following the II Cycle UPR to the Government of Mozambique in January 2016, the Ministry of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs began drafting the new National Action Plan for the implementation of the II Cycle UPR recommendations for the period 2017-2020, with collaboration of other stakeholders, including CSOs. Out of the 210 recommendations of the 2nd cycle of the UPR to Mozambique by the HRC, the Government has accepted 180 and noted 30. This Project sought to improve the implementation of the UPR recommendations by the Government of Mozambique, through strengthening of the capacities of the CSOs to: - Monitor the implementation of the recommendations accepted by the Government during the 2nd Cycle UPR, and
- Engage constructively with the Government to advocate for their increased commitment in respecting its Human Rights obligations.
- The project logic assumes that once Civil society has adequate tools and capacities, including enabling regulatory framework, this will lead to improved UPR implementation through increased follow-up and pressure of civil society to Government.
The theory of change coupled with UNDP’s experience working in the field, the lessons learnt from the first UPR cycle and the strategic approach of aligning with Government policy documents, has suggested the following interlinked project areas: - Improved coordination of Civil Society and Government’s work towards implementation of the recommendations of the second cycle UPR mechanism;
- Civil society is empowered to effectively follow up the human rights situation in the country;
- Voices from the communities are consistently brought to national and international human rights fora by civil society.
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