Today, 26 March 2025, the final report of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Nicaragua was scheduled to be adopted at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council. However, this adoption could not take place, as the State of Nicaragua did not send the report, nor did it attend the session.
The Council agreed on the following measures:
- Call upon the State of Nicaragua to resume its cooperation with the UPR mechanism.
- Request the President of the Council to report on the steps taken to this end.
- To postpone the adoption of the Report for the 60th Session of the Human Rights Council, should Nicaragua resume cooperation. PBI has accompanied Nicaraguan civil society organisations in their participation in the UPR process since last year. We regret that the Nicaraguan State has not fulfilled its commitments to collaborate in this process, and for this reason, there is no final report, thus hindering the development of this important mechanism for the monitoring and improvement of human rights in the world. Together with the organisations that make up the 46/2 Collective, we have published a statement, which is reproduced below:
Collective 46/2: Organisations speak out against the premeditated decision of the State of Nicaragua to withdraw from the Human Rights Council and absent itself from the Universal Periodic Review
26 March 2025
We, the member organisations of the 46/2 Collective, call on the international community to continue and expand all actions aimed at monitoring the human rights situation in Nicaragua, including those of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, in the face of the increasingly constant acts of international isolation by the State of Nicaragua.
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a peer review process within the United Nations Human Rights Council framework that allows member states to assess each other’s human rights commitments and make recommendations to the state under review. It is a universal and regular process that promotes collaboration among UN member states and the strengthening of human rights, as it allows states to share their main concerns and expose challenges.
In its most recent review of the fourth cycle of the UPR, Nicaragua received 279 recommendations from 88 countries. More than 20 Nicaraguan and international organisations participated in this process by submitting alternative reports that highlighted the severe human rights crisis that has plagued the country for almost seven years. At the end of March, the Nicaraguan state was expected to submit a report in response to these recommendations, as required by international procedure. However, the State did not submit the report, which prevented the adoption of the findings by the Human Rights Council.
We warn that this action on the part of the Nicaraguan State occurs in a context of consolidation of a policy of isolation and disregard for its international obligations in regional and international spaces of scrutiny, demonstrating its lack of commitment to guaranteeing human rights. On 27 February, the State of Nicaragua announced its withdrawal from the Human Rights Council, days after the presentation of the report of the Group of Experts on Human Rights in Nicaragua (GHREN). Subsequently, the State announced its withdrawal from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Faced with the persistence and worsening of the human rights crisis in Nicaragua, as well as the increasing isolation and lack of accountability of the State, we urge:
The community of States to maintain constant scrutiny of the situation in Nicaragua and to strengthen communication and support for individuals, collectives, communities and civil society organisations defending human rights in the country. We urge the activation of all available international and diplomatic mechanisms to hold the Nicaraguan state accountable. We also request that any trade and financial relations with Nicaragua be conditional on strict compliance with its obligations on human rights and access to justice.
To international human rights organisations, we request: that they continue to document human rights violations in Nicaragua and abroad for people who were forced into exile, with an intersectional approach and special attention to children, women, LGBTIQ+ people and indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples, as well as people and collectives that defend human rights. It is essential to make visible the increase in cases of statelessness, as well as migration and cross-border repression.
To the solidarity networks at regional and international level, we ask: to continue promoting spaces of solidarity and articulation on Nicaragua. We thank them for their fundamental role in making the situation in the country visible, protecting human rights defenders, people in exile, and accompanying people currently at risk of deportation. Support in denouncing and sanctioning authoritarian regimes is more necessary than ever to accompany the Nicaraguan people in the face of isolation and repression.
Additional information:
The 46/2 Collective is a coalition of 19 international, regional and Nicaraguan human rights organisations that regularly informs the international community about the lack of action by the Nicaraguan regime to meet its international human rights obligations. The following is a list of the member organisations of the Collective that have decided to make public their support for this statement:
Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR-Centre)
Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL)
Colectivo de Derechos Humanos Nicaragua Nunca Más
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
Movimiento Autonómo de Mujeres (MAM)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Peace Brigades International (PBI)
Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos Europa (RIDHE)
Unidad de Defensa Jurídica (UDJ)
Urnas Abiertas (UA)