On October 22, 2013, China underwent its second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. During the review, 137 member states of the UN engaged in an interactive dialogue with the Chinese delegation. The review examined China's implementation of the recommendations it had accepted following its first UPR in 2009, as well as new developments or outstanding issues in the fulfillment of its human rights obligations and commitments.
On March 20, 2014, the Human Rights Council (HRC) officially adopted the Outcome Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review after consideration at the 41st Meeting of the 25th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council. The Council’s consideration of the outcome report was marked by multiple procedural objections from China. First, China raised a procedural objection when an NGO attempted to observe a moment of silence for the death of rights defender Cao Shunli (曹顺利). China asserted that Council rules only allow for “general comments,” which, they maintained, do not include silence. Later, when another NGO began to deliver a joint statement, China objected that accredited NGOs may only reference other accredited organizations, contradicting common practice.
Of the 252 recommendations made by UN member states, China accepted 204 and rejected 48. And of the 204 accepted recommendations, China stated that 31 have already been implemented, and eight are being implemented.
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