The undersigned national and international organisations, as well as regional networks, condemn the Nicaraguan State's lack of cooperation in completing the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.
With 279 recommendations made to the government during its review in November 2024, the adoption of the final UPR report was scheduled for March 26 2025, during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council. However, the Nicaraguan State did not submit its report nor attended the session, resulting in the suspension and postponement of the procedure to the 60th session. This follows Nicaragua’s withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council in February 2025.
The UPR is a unique mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council designed to promote the protection of human rights. It involves the evaluation of each member state, whereby it is given recommendations by other member states, fostering collaborative efforts to ensure the realization of fundamental human rights.
The adoption and implementation of these recommendations are critical for recovering civic space and restoring fundamental human rights guarantees in Nicaragua. The absence of the Nicaraguan State has significant ramifications for the respect and guarantee of human rights, as the restriction of international observation promotes impunity and enables the continuation of human rights violations. This situation is particularly concerning in contexts of conflict and human rights crises, such as those faced by Nicaragua since 2018.
For this reason, we urge the State of Nicaragua to resume its collaboration with the UPR and the broader Human Rights Council in order to complete the evaluation process.
We also urge the Human Rights Council to adopt the necessary measures in light of the Nicaraguan State’s failure to comply with this special procedure, so the evaluation process can resume. This failure sets a negative precedent for this protection mechanism. We call on UN member states to remain vigilant in monitoring the human rights situation in Nicaragua, particularly regarding the right to freedom of expression, and to continue supporting civil society.
The role of international organisations overseeing the protection and enforcement of human rights, such as the Human Rights Council, and the processes they implement, like the Universal Periodic Review, is of paramount importance in ensuring the human rights of Nicaraguans.