The Globe International Center, with support from IFEX, is set to participate in Mongolia's Universal Periodic Review.
This statement was originally published on gfmd.info on 10 September 2019.
Mongolia is currently preparing for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for the third cycle this year. The UPR is a state-driven process under the auspices of the Human Rights Council that gives states an opportunity to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations.
For the second time, the Globe International Center (GIC), supported by IFEX, is participating in its preparation. The previous UPR cycle – presented four years ago in 2015 – contained eight recommendations on improving the right to freedom of expression, and was sent to the Mongolian Government for their consideration. Unfortunately, the recommendations were not met with adequate implementation.
This year, the GIC conducted several studies to evaluate the laws on Information Transparency and the Right to Information. As the preparation of this cycle’s report is based on the principle of participation of relevant professionals, various dialogues were organised within this framework. During the meetings, participants shared their views on information transparency, access to information, and freedom of expression.
Three roundtable meetings were held to integrate the views of local journalists, researchers, and members of academia. Conversations with journalists were also continued separately in an online session. In order to involve the public sector, the GIC organised meetings with seven public administration organisations on the access to information, which constitutes Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The findings of the studies are included in the UPR report regarding freedom of expression.
The final report will be published as the consultation progresses.
