Preparation of the review In the preparatory phase, which is primarily focused on information collection, there are three main entry points for NGOs to influence the review: The state under review is encouraged to prepare its national reports in broad consultation with all stakeholders. In the best practice examples, states hold several hearings with NGOs and other interested groups and individuals to seek their input on the contents of the state report. This does not imply that the views are subsequently included in the report but it facilitates a dialogue between the government and NGOs, which may be valuable later in the process. Most states will have a person or unit acting as focal point for the UPR process with the primary responsibility of collecting input from all relevant ministries and government agencies. Depending For the UPR of Bosnia-Herzegovina, a large NGO coalition was established and coordinated by the Human Rights House Sarajevo on all rights and from the various regions of the country. This gave momentum to NGOs to engage together in international advocacy. on the national context, it might be relevant to identify where this responsibility lies and contact the focal point with the objective of ensuring that NGOs are heard in the process. NGOs can submit their own information directly to the OHCHR either as an individual or a coalition submission. In the UPR system NGO coalition are often more visible 12 A Practical Guide to the UPR: How NGOs can influence the UPR process and have more impact than single NGO submissions, given the fact that NGO reports are summarised into one document and that coalition reports can have 5630 words instead of only 2815 words. The UPR is an opportunity to build stronger cooperation between NGOs in the international advocacy and it is a good tool for coalition building and strengthening links between NGOs nationally. When participating in a coalition, NGOs working on very specific issues should consider if their own analysis and recommendations are likely to receive sufficient visibility to be addressed in the UPR. In such case the NGO may wish to supplement its participation in the coalition with the submission of a 2815 word individual report, which elaborates on issues, which are addressed more superficially in the coalition report. The UN member states conducting the review may be interested in receiving additional, updated and more detailed information about specific issues or specific countries to enable them to make more specific and focused recommendations. Many states prepare their comments and recommendations through a process involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, their permanent mission to the UN at Geneva and their embassy in the state under review. Often, the substantive information comes from the local embassy. During the information collection phase, the easiest way to ensure that the states take account of your priority issues is through direct engagement with the relevant embassies in your own country. This can either be done through bilateral talks with each of the embassies you deem relevant or by hosting a presentation/Q&A session for a group