Malaysia to present National Report at UNHRC for 4th cycle of UPR on Jan 25

Malaysia will present its National Report for the Fourth Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Jan 25.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Malaysia’s participation in the fourth UPR demonstrates its unwavering commitment to advancing the human rights agenda in the country.

It also underlines the unwavering commitment by the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to place human rights as a priority in Malaysia’s national development agenda, it said in a statement last night.

Malaysia’s delegation will be led by the ministry’s Deputy Secretary-General for Multilateral Affairs Datuk Bala Chandran Tharman.

This will be Malaysia’s fourth review of its human rights record. Previous reviews were in 2009, 2013 and 2018.

UPR is an intergovernmental process established under the UN Human Rights Council framework to review the human rights records of each UN member state once every four and a half years.

It provides an avenue for each member state under review to highlight measures and efforts undertaken to improve human rights in its country.

The council also serves as a peer review platform for all UN member states to provide recommendations and share best practices in a constructive dialogue to facilitate the promotion and protection of human rights.

Malaysia’s National Report was a collective effort involving a whole-of-society approach, with consultations with various stakeholders, including civil society and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), the statement added.

The Report focuses on the progress and achievements of Malaysia in the promotion of human rights from November 2018 to October 2023.