UNHCR lists Pakistan’s notable measures for human rights since 2017

UPR is UN reform process mechanism since 2005 of all 193 member states’ performance

United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report has listed the several steps taken by Pakistan since 2017 in regard to human rights.

The report has stated that Pakistan has taken a range of legislative, policy and institutional steps in 2017 on the human rights agenda.

UPR is a mechanism of the UN reform process since 2005 to examine periodically the human rights performance of all 193 UN member states.

The detailed list of the steps taken by Pakistan, at its last UPR review, has been mentioned in the report. The steps include Legislative Measures and Policy & Institutional measures.

According to the report the Acts in the legislative measures include the Enactment of Hindu Marriage Act 2017, Enactment of Juvenile Systems Act 2018, Enactment of Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act 2020, Enactment of Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act 2020, Enactment of Legal Aid & Justice Authority Act 2020, Enactment of ICT Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2020, Enactment of Anti-Rape Act 2021, Enactment of Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021, Enactment of Torture and Custodial Death Act 2022, Enactment of Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010, in 2022, Enactment of Senior Citizen Act 2022, Provincial governments enacted legislation to criminalize various forms of gender-based violence and The bill to criminalize enforced disappearances.

The UPR stated policy and institutional measures taken by Pakistan including the National Education Policy Framework 2018, National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) 2018, the National Commission on Human Rights of Child 2020, the National Commission Minorities 2020, Markup Subsidy Scheme 2020, National Gender Policy Framework 2022, Promotion and protection of rights, freedom and legal remedies, Legislation prohibiting employment of children, Sindh government established Commission on the protection of journalists and media practitioners 2022, Pakistan hosted 3-5 million Afghan refugees for four decades, Development of National Action Plan to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health, Several social security schemes to alleviate poverty, Ehsaas and Ehsaan Nashonuma Program 2022.