Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) held a workshop on Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the ACHRS office from 28/07/09 – 29/07/09.

In the first training session, ACHRS Director Dr. Nizam Assaf reviewed civil society institutions' relationships with the United Nations and the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights. He also made a presentation of the Jordanian experience with the UPR.

Ms. Kholuod Najim held the rest of the sessions, in which she reviewed a brief introduction of the UPR, including its history and establishment. Session covered the guidelines for UPR involvement published by the OHCHR and an overall strategy for NGOs participating in the process. The goals for NGO submissions were covered, which include clarity, a balance of breadth and depth of topics, and effective messaging. Ms. Najim also offered an outline of the overall UPR process, which is based on periodicity, with a clear timeline for countries to be reviewed on specific bases. A good deal of documentation is involved, including the national report, OHCHR report, and the stakeholders' submission. The Working Group on the UPR issues an outcome document which is then adopted by the Human Rights Council. At both stages, there is a discussion of the interests, opportunities, and roles of all actors:  State governments, National Human Rights Institutions, and Civil society organizations both trans-national and domestic. A final session covered key resources which CSOs can use in preparing their submissions and participating in the UPR reviews in Geneva.

Mr. Majed Talab held the second day's sessions, which covered NGO Participation in the UPR process, attending the working group session, and attending the regular session of the HRC following it. Specifically, Mr. Talab discussed strategies and protocol for delivering a statement to the regular session of the HRC when the outcome document is adopted. Discussion also covered ideas on hw to work on the follow-up to review outcomes. CSOs have a role to play in implementation, i.e. publicizing the UPR on a National Level. Finally, Mr. Talab covered report writing skills important to the formulation and preparation of UPR reports and submissions using the application of the Human rights principles and the guidelines of the office of the high commissioner.

In the last session both Ms. Kholuod Najim and Mr. Majed Talab asked participants to hold a group discussions using the Stakeholders' Submission and other documents used in the UPR process (outcome document, national report) for domestic human rights advocacy.

The trainers were Dr. Nizam Assaf, Director of ACHRS; Ms. Kholoud Najim, and Mr. Majed Talab. In attendance were 10 participants from Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Morocco and Tunisia.

In the end of the workshop there was the concluding and evaluation session (remarks and announcements) and certificates were distributed on the participants. 

The ACHRS organized previous workshops on the UPR with other Jordanian NGOs in 2007. In addition, ACHRS organized a workshop with the cooperation with three other partners on the preparation of UPR in August 2008. ACHRS was one of the organizations which submitted a Human Rights report as a civil society stakeholder in Jordan's first UPR (title: Human Rights in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – Report of the Jordanian Civil Society Organizations) and participated in the 4^th session of the Human Rights Council this year.