Israel’s potential non-participation in its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was the key concern at an organisational meeting held by the Human Rights Council (the Council) on 14 January 2013. The purpose of the meeting was to select the troikas (the groups of States that facilitate each review) for next week's UPR.

Israel’s potential non-participation in its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was the key concern at an organisational meeting held by the Human Rights Council (the Council) on 14 January 2013. The purpose of the meeting was to select the troikas (the groups of States that facilitate each review) for next week's UPR.

Last May Israel sent a letter to the President of the Council, declaring that it formally suspended its relationship with the Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Since then Israel has not attended Council sessions, it has not submitted a national report for its UPR, and it did not appear for the selection of its UPR troika. The worry is that it will also not appear for its UPR, due to be held on 29 January. If it does not, it will be the first time a State has not presented itself as scheduled for its UPR, setting a dangerous precedent.

At the meeting on 14 January States discussed how to handle this situation. States agreed that the drawing of the troika could still take place even if the State under review was not present. The President proposed that the organisational meeting then be suspended until 29 January, the scheduled date of Israel’s review. If Israel’s representative is not present on 29 January, the organisational meeting will be resumed so that the Council can decide how to proceed.

The President asked States for input. All States that spoke (Pakistan on behalf of the OIC, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Ireland on behalf of the EU, Gabon, and the United States) supported the proposal to suspend the organisational meeting until 29 January. However, Pakistan also emphasised that the Council should ensure that it has made a decision before 29 January about what to do should Israel not appear.

The 15^th session of the UPR will take place from 21 January to 1 February. The timetable of reviews is available here.

Troikas for the 15^th session of the UPR

France

States selected: Congo, Kuwait, Italy

Tonga

States selected: Angola, Pakistan, Costa Rica

Romania

States selected: Kenya, Qatar, Czech Republic

Mali

States selected: Angola, United Arab Emirates, Montenegro

Botswana

States selected: Uganda, Austria, Poland

Bahamas

States selected: Pakistan, Costa Rica, Gabon

Burundi

States selected: India, Benin, Republic of Moldova

Luxembourg

States selected: Japan, Peru, Romania

Montenegro

States selected: Mauritania, United States, Estonia

United Arab Emirates

States selected: Ethiopia, Thailand, Germany

Israel

States selected: Sierra Leone, Maldives, Venezuela

Barbados

States selected: Libya, Brazil, Spain

Liechtenstein

States selected: Malaysia, Cote d’Ivoire, Argentina

Serbia

States selected: Republic of Korea, Chile, Switzerland