follow-up is to translate the recommendations into the national language and to disseminate them broadly nationally. NGOs can of course lobby national authorities to translate the recommendations but it might often be more efficient and faster to do so without waiting for national authorities to act. The key is to ensure that the international political process during the review in Geneva and its outcome is picked up by the relevant domestic authorities responsible for their implementation. For this reason the follow-up work already starts before the review. It is important for NGOs to promote that the state sends a diverse delegation to Geneva, which comprises representatives from all relevant ministries and other government agencies. This is the first step to bringing the recommendations home. It is important to note that Geneva is not the most important place for follow up. The recommendations need to be put to life at the national level. Here you can try to solicit the support of the same governments that made the recommendations in Geneva. Furthermore, you can seek to put additional pressure on the government by getting other UN or regional mechanisms to address the same recommendations. Nationally, NGOs should always lobby authorities to adopt a national plan to implement UPR recommendations. This plan should at least comprise an inclusive consultation process with civil society and a programme of work for the implementation of the various recommendations. NGOs can One recommendation that is made to many states under review (typically by Norway) is that they should have an effective and inclusive process for following-up on the recommendations resulting from the UPR. also prepare, two years after the adoption of the UPR outcome, a mid-term report indicating in which areas progress has been made, where authorities are taking measures to implement recommendations, and where accepted recommendations are not implemented. This is also the opportunity NGOs have to highlight why some recommendations that were not accepted, should have been accepted and implemented. This report can be published nationally and also sent to the embassies of the states that have made recommendations. It can also be distributed at the Human Rights Council. Timing of interventions In the UPR process, appropriate timing of each intervention is crucial for the success of your advocacy plan. Each UPR session sees 14 states being reviewed, which implies a significant workload for many permanent missions in Geneva if they are to participate on all 14 reviews. It is therefore important to time the different interventions in a way so the diplomatic staff actually has time to look at your information. A Practical Guide to the UPR: How NGOs can influence the UPR process 15