State Behaviour at the Universal Periodic Review: An Examination of India’s Third Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council

Ashwath Komath
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Ashwath Komath: Ashwath Komath is a postgraduate in International Relations from South Asian University, New Delhi. His research interests include the United Nations, Terrorism, Indian Foreign Policy and Diplomacy.

India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, 2020, vol. 76, issue 2, 185-206

Abstract: The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has been a promising instrument in the hands of the United Nations Human Rights Council. With more emphasis on constructive criticism than an adversarial approach, it was thought that this method would help states to improve their human rights records. This article takes the case of India’s last review through this process and derives various trends and patterns of interaction with other states. It starts by outlining the process of the UPR itself and how it works procedurally, after which it highlights India’s presentation of its human rights record, and subsequently how the international community reacted to it. One of the core arguments of this article is that when it comes to human rights, it is important to analyse its politics through a regional lens since geographical continuities determine an overall outlook towards human rights and priorities that states highlight when they consider human rights records on the whole. This is further substantiated by looking at instances when bilateralism has not succeeded in its goals. It also makes certain statistical inferences after close examination of the recommendations posed by states, as well as India’s response (or lack thereof) to those recommendations. The article also highlights certain cases from India’s domestic developments to see how it plays out in the international community and their perception of India’s human rights record.

Keywords: Human rights; universal periodic review; India; HRC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:indqtr:v:76:y:2020:i:2:p:185-206

DOI: 10.1177/0974928420917786

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