Australia’s Fourth Universal Periodic Review
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a peer-review dialogue undertaken by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council and all 192 Member States of the UN.
Every five years, the UPR considers the progress of every country in the realisation of all human rights. It identifies human rights achievements and challenges, with countries making recommendations to the country undergoing review.
In 2026, Australia will appear before the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, for its fourth Universal Periodic review.
The UPR is an opportunity to:
- take stock of how well we are protecting the human rights of all people in Australia
- inform the international community of the human rights situation in Australia
- engage with other countries about specified steps Australia will take to improve the enjoyment of human rights in Australia.
Australia has undergone three reviews, the first in 2011, the second in 2015 and the third in 2021.
The review will take place on the basis of three documents:
- the national report prepared by the Australian Government
- the United Nations human rights report
- the stakeholders report which includes contributions by the AHRC and NGOs from Australia.
The Commission’s role in the UPR
In advance of the appearance, the Commission will contribute an independent assessment of Australia’s human rights situation on the ground, make recommendations about ongoing challenges, and will assess the implementation status of the 344 recommendations that were made during Australia’s third UPR process.
Our submission to the fourth cycle review will welcome positive developments since the last cycle in 2021 and will highlight the ongoing substantial weaknesses in Australia’s human rights protections and new challenges that are arising.
The Commissions submission to Australia’s fourth UPR cycle will be available here in July 2025.
Civil society participation in the UPR
NGOs and civil society organisations are also invited to take part in the UPR process. Submissions can be made individually or jointly with other NGOs. Submissions for the fourth cycle of the UPR are now open. More information about the NGO coalition can be found on the website.
Where can I find more information on the UPR?
More detailed information on the UPR process is available at . Visit for information including
- basic facts on the UPR
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Australia’s Third Universal Periodic Review
Australia's third UPR cycle occurred during the 37th Session of the UPR Working Group on 25 January 2021. 122 Member States delivered statements and provided 344 recommendations.
You can read the Commission’s submission to Australia’s third appearance at the UPR in full here.
The Commission also undertook an assessment of the implementation status of all recommendations made to Australia in the second UPR in 2015. At the time of writing, approximately 11% of recommendations supported by the government had been fully implemented, approximately 80% had been partly implemented and approximately 9% had not been implemented.
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Australia’s Second Universal Periodic Review
Australia's review under the second cycle of the UPR took place on 9 November 2015.
110 member states delivered statements and provided 291 recommendations. 150 recommendations were accepted, 50 were noted to consider further and 90 were noted.
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The Commission also undertook an assessment of the implementation status of all recommendations made to Australia in the second UPR in 2011.The Commission’s assessment of the implementation status of all recommendations from the 1st cycle(165.62 KB)
Progress reportsFollowing Australia's appearance in the First UPR process, the ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ committed to publishing a series of annual reports on the status of implementation of the UPR recommendations.
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Australia’s First Universal Periodic Review
Australia participated in the first cycle of the UPR at the UN Human Rights Council in January 2011. 53 member delivered statements and made 145 recommendations. The Australian Government accepted, in full or in part, over 90 percent of recommendations made.
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