The Standing Committee entrusted with the follow-up of the Universal Periodic Review, UPR, of Human Rights report, yesterday held its 17th meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Abu Dhabi, under the chairmanship of Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Standing Committee.

The Universal Periodic Review is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. It is a significant innovation of the Human Rights Council, which is based on equal treatment for all countries.

During the meeting, the committee reviewed the 107 recommendations approved by the UAE during the discussion session of its second national report pertaining to the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights session on 6th June, 2013, at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The committee also reviewed the steps taken by the UAE concerned authorities to implement and follow up on these recommendations, which include the passing of Federal Law No. 03 of 2016 on Children's Rights (Wadeema Law), and Federal Decree No. 08 of 2016, concerning the country's accession to the UN's Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on: the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, in preparation for the country's third national UPR report, which will be presented to the Council in October, 2017.