Influencing the review General approach to UPR advocacy UPR was created as a review of states by states - a peer based review. There are, however, several ways whereby NGOs can seek to influence the review process to ensure that it has maximum impact on the ground. Since it is a state-driven process, NGOs will need to influence state actors either from the state under review or from other states participating in the review. How to engage a state under review varies greatly from state to state and from issue to issue - in some instances collaboration is the best approach and in others there is a need for denunciation. Over time, local dynamics may change, and it is therefore up to the individual advocate to determine how to engage most effectively. From a general perspective it is important to make three key observations: • The overarching objective of the UPR is to ensure that recommendations made to your Government adequately The Kingdom of the Netherlands made recommendations on NGO regulations (to Armenia and to Ethiopia), human rights defenders and NGO legislation (to Azerbaijan and to Qatar), NGO registration (to Belarus), alongside other recommendations on the right of freedom of association, which shows an interest of this specific country on this particular issue. 10 A Practical Guide to the UPR: How NGOs can influence the UPR process cover your priority issues and that they are clear, focused, specific and implementable. One example of a clear, focused, specific and implementable recommendation was provide by Denmark to the Philippines in May 2012: “…effectively implements the 2009 Anti-Torture Act, with a particular focus on ensuring that all investigations and prosecutions of allegations of torture and ill-treatment fully cover the possibility of command responsibility as stipulated in section 13 of the Act; and that all alleged victims of torture and illtreatment have effective access to a medical evaluation of their injuries by institutionalising the use of the Istanbul Protocol, including by providing guidelines to judges, prosecutors, forensic doctors and medical personnel dealing with detained persons, to detect and document physical and psychological trauma of torture.” • Not all human rights issues are equally controversial and not all government agencies are equally sensitive to criticism. Therefore, it is important to analyse which government agencies are most likely to be forthcoming to which issues. This analysis will help the advocate decide how to prioritise efforts and resources. • If the government is not open to be influenced on substance it might still be possible to influence how it