The content in this page ("Thailand’s human rights record to be examined by Universal Periodic Review" by UN Human Rights Council) is not produced by Prachatai staff. Prachatai merely provides a platform, and the opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect those of Prachatai.
A candle vigil ceremony for Wanchalearm Satsaksit, an abducted activist. (File photo)

Thailand’s human rights record to be examined by Universal Periodic Review

On 10 November 2021, Thailand’s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the third time in a meeting that will be webcast live.

Protesters remove decorative plants around the Democracy Monument at the protest on 13 February 2021.

Thailand is one of the 13 States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its session currently taking place from 1 to 12 November*.  Thailand’s first and second UPR reviews took place in October 2011 and May 2016, respectively.

The documents on which the reviews are based are: 1) national report - information provided by the State under review; 2) information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, known as the Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities; 3) information provided by other stakeholders including national human rights institutions, regional organizations and civil society groups.

The three reports serving as the basis for the review of Thailand on 10 November can be found here.

Location: Room XX, Palais des Nations, Geneva [NB: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting will be held using a combination of in-person and remote participation, and media representatives are encouraged to follow the proceedings on webcast.

Time and date: 09.00 – 12.30, Wednesday, 10 November (Geneva time, GMT +1 hour)

The UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States.  Since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all 193 UN member States have been reviewed twice within the first and second UPR cycles.  During the third UPR cycle, States are again expected to spell out steps they have taken to implement recommendations posed during their previous reviews which they committed to follow-up on, as well as to highlight recent human rights developments in the country.

The delegation of Thailand will be led by Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The three country representatives serving as rapporteurs (“troika”) for the review of Thailand are: Bulgaria, China and Côte d’Ivoire.

The webcast of the session will be at http://webtv.un.org

The list of speakers and all available statements to be delivered during the review of Thailand will be posted on the UPR Extranet

The UPR Working Group is scheduled to adopt the recommendations made to Thailand at 17.00 on 12 November.  The State under review may wish to express its positions on recommendations posed to it during their review. 

Since 2007, Prachatai English has been covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite the risk and pressure from the law and the authorities. However, with only 2 full-time reporters and increasing annual operating costs, keeping our work going is a challenge. Your support will ensure we stay a professional media source and be able to expand our team to meet the challenges and deliver timely and in-depth reporting.

• Simple steps to support Prachatai English

1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank

2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”