On 14-18 November 2022, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group will proceed with the fourth review cycle of Brazil, assessing the compliance of the country with its obligations and commitments in terms of human rights. The role of this UN Human Rights Council mechanism is to assess implementation of previous UPR recommendations and the evolution of the human rights situation in Member States. To this end, the Council also relies on input from civil society organisations and others.
In this framework, NPWJ, together with a group of Brazilian organisations (“Instituto do Homem e Meio Ambiente da Amazônia” (Imazon), the “Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia” (IPAM), “Seja Legal com a Amazônia” campaign, the “Instituto O Mundo que Queremos” (IOMMQ) and “Amigos da Terra” – Brazilian Amazon Rainforest), submitted a joint document to inform the UPR of their perspectives, with a focus on human rights, the environment and the rights of indigenous peoples.
This joint submission provides an analysis of the implementation of recommendations made to Brazil by State Parties in previous stages of the UPR process. It also provides direct recommendations to members of the Human Rights Council assessing Brazil to help the country fulfil its international human rights obligations. These include: increase transparency in government agencies and develop opportunities for public participation in Brazil’s land designation process; forbid the issuance of land titles for recently deforested areas and forbid future land occupations from being legalised; and ensure that plans such as “Auxílio Brasil” (Brazilian social welfare program) and “Cesta Básica” (food parcel) meet the needs of indigenous peoples, especially in relation to their food and cultural needs, which are crucial for their survival.
The submission was extensively incorporated into the “Summary of stakeholders’ information” (NA: link to document), which is one of the three documents on which the review is based.
For further information, please contact Juan Guzman, Amazonia Project Associate (juzman@npwj.org) or Nicola Giovannini, Press & Public Affairs Coordinator on ngiovannini@npwj.org.
