Universal Progress Reviews, BRICS and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights The goal of Universal Progress Reviews (UPR) is the improvement of the human rights situation in every country with consequences for people around the globe. •To achieve this, the UPR involves assessing States’ human rights records and to prompt, support, and expand the promotion and protection of human rights on the ground. The UPR working group (47 countries) reviews the government’s report, culls out observation of treaty bodies, gathers feedback from civil society, and then comes up with its observation. The latest review by the UPR working group of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) identifies several vulnerable groups including landless, informal sector workers, migrants, Blacks, indigenous people, minorities, people with disability, elderly, children and those affected by conflicts, and women and LGBTIQ. Several sexual reproductive health and rights issues are identified by the working group in the countries of BRICS: Trafficking of women and girls for sexual purposes, Maternal health/mortality in all countries (other than in Russia), Violence against cis women/girls and LGBTIQ (other than in China) Violation of SRHR of LGBTIQ, in India and Russia, Early marriage in India and South Africa, Harmful traditional practices like virginity tests and female genital mutilation in South Africa, Nutrition of women in reproductive age (only in India) Incidence of HIV, highlighted in working group report for south Africa The working group identifies several country specific challenges, spilling to social determinants of SRHR and health system issues. Brazil: Cuts in budget, limited conditions under which legal abortion is available, poor quality of SRH services, limited services for migrants, and supply of medicines being affected during COVID-19. China: Human rights of LGBTIQ, rural-urban gap/regional gap in health infrastructure and inadequate health service for elderly. India: Low public funding per capita, limited coverage of people with disability under insurance and limited capacity to provide services related to GBV and SRH (in particular to adolescents and LGBTIQ). Russia: Criminalize domestic violence by relatives (decriminalized recently), ban nonconsensual procedure on inter-sex children, and strengthen health facility in rural and remote areas. South Africa: Rural-urban and public-private disparities in quality of health services, limited abortion and SRH services for women and limited drug supply during COVID-19. National health insurance bill yet to be adopted If UPRs are to be used to promote SRHR it is important that the working group members are sensitive to SRHR, and are aware of strategies to address gaps in fulfilling SRHR and human rights. In particular, they need to have capacities to: Monitor SRHR, Monitor ratification of relevant human rights instruments/ human rights situation, Monitor other social determinants of SRHR-

1. Universal Progress Reviews
of BRICS and SRHR
Ranjani K Murthy, 2022
Presented at Global Webinar on Public health, December 7th

2. Objectives
UPRs SRHR in UPRs
Social
determinants
in UPRs
Challenges
Using UPRs to
promote SRHR

3. Universal progress review: Why and How?
• The goal of UPR is the improvement of the human rights situation in
every country with consequences for people around the globe.
• The UPR also aims to enhance capacity of governments to deal
effectively with human rights challenges and to share best practices
• To achieve this, the UPR involves assessing States’ human rights
records and to prompt, support, and expand the promotion and
protection of human rights on the ground

4. How review is conducted?
• UPR Working Group reviews the
country reports (47 members)
• Three cycles of review
completed (193 member states)
Other
stakeholders
Outcome
report
Info by
States Special
procedures
and treaty
bodies

5. Vulnerable groups in UNHCR/stakeholders
reports
Brazil
Indigenous population
Afro Brazilian
Pregnant women in prisons
Adolescents
LGBTIQ
People with HIV/AIDS
Migrants/homeless/refugees
China
Religious and ethnic minorities
Women
Children
Elderly
Disabled
LGBTIQ
People in rural areas/Central and Western
People of African descent
India
- Disabled/living with stigmatised illness
- Dalits/Minorities/Adivasis
- Urban slum dwellers/homeless/refugees
- Informal sector worker/migrant/ displaced
-LGBTIQ
-women
- Intersecting identities
Russia
Minorities
Rural-urban gap
LGBTIQ
Women
Children, disabled, elderly
Adolescents in armed force
South Africa
Blacks
Rural areas
Ethnic minorities
Lows income/informal/migrants
Disabled
Pregnant girls
Women/LGBTIQ

6. International human rights instruments/optional
protocol ratification status
Brazil China India Russia South Africa
ESCR (Economic and
social cultural rights)
Optional protocol
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
CPR (civil political
rights)
Optional protocol
*
*
*
*(1/3)
*
*
*
*
*
*
CEDAW (women)
Optional protocol
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
CRC (children)
Optional protocol
*
*
*
*
*
*1/3
*
*
*
*
CERD (racial) * (art 14) * * *
CRPD (disability)
Optional protocol
*
*?
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
CRMW (migrants) * * * * *

7. SRHR issues highlighted through UPR process
Brazil China India Russia South Africa
Nutrition of
women+AG
*
Early marriage
Forced marriage
FGM
Virginity testing
* *
*
*
*
Maternal mortality
- illegal abortion
- Teenage
pregnany
* * * *
Maternal health -
women prisoners
*
SRHR of LGBTIQ * * *(non consensual
procedures)
HIV *
Trafficking for sexual
exploitation
* * * * *
Violence against * * * *

8. Social determinants of SRHR (identified
through UPR processes)
Brazil
• Poor WATSAN
• Displacement due to
development project
China
• Rural poverty,
• Discrimination based on
religion, ethnicity, area,
sexual orientation and
gender identity
• Gender gap in wages
• displacement and
environmental
destruction
• Human rights standards/
violations high
India
• Informal sector work-
limited maternity benefit
• Caste, disability, LGBTIQ,
minority discrimination
in WATSAN
• Homelessness, lack of id
and unequal access to
services
• Malnutrition of women
and children
• Law on rights of
lesbians/gays- age at
consent
• Human rights violations
persist
Russia
• Weak implementation of
national plan on gender
stereotypes and decision
making
• National law on domestic
violence and trafficking
weak
• Weak Support services to
address GBV
• Discrimination against
LGBTIQ; lack of legislation
• Prohibition of certain
employment for women
• Restrictions on NGOs and
HR defenders
South Africa
• Anti poor
policies(eviction, taxation
models)
• Poor presence of equality
courts-rural areas
• Funds for human
rights/women’s
commission
• Justice system slow on
GBV
• Gender wage –land gap
• Criminalisation of sex
work
• Non recognition of Hindu
and Muslim marriages
• Lack of gender equality
law, policy on decision
making
Climate change, Covid-19

9. Challenges to SRHR identified through UPR
processes
Brazil
• Cuts in budget to support right to health- MH, HIV
• Legal Abortion under limited conditions
• SRH services weak, in particular legal abortion
• Health services to migrants
• Poor supply of imported medicines during covid-19
China
• Human rights of LGBTIQ
• Rural-urban gap in public health infrastructure; regional gaps
• Migrant workers health
• Health care of elderly
India
• Low public funding per capita
• Limited UHC of disabled limited
• Health system capacity to provide services related to GBV and SRH including to
adolescents, LGBTIQ and disabled persons

10. Challenges to SRHR identified in UPR process
Russia
• (Again) Criminalise domestic violence by relatives
• Ban non consensual procedures on inter-sex
• Health facilitates in rural and remote areas
South Africa
• Rural-urban disparities in health, public-private disparities
• National health insurance bill not adopted
• Abortion services limited, and SRH services for women
• AR drugs during COVID-19 not adequate to meet needs

11. Conclusions
• Attention to SRHR in Universal Progress Reviews varies across countries,
being better in India, Brazil and South Africa in BRICS
• Maternal health, health service for GBV, abortion services examined;
women’s nutrition, adolescent SRH, reproductive cancer, infertility need
greater attention
• Customary practices and SRHR examined in only one UPR; on the other
hand inequities in outcomes has received considerable attention
• Attention to rights of LGBTIQ to health in 3 of 5 UPRs, and rural-urban,
economic, racial, caste, age, disability ethnic, migrant, minority, spatial
inequalities in access to SRHR are well highlighted
• Post Covid-19 SRHR of migrants emerging as a serious issue, and most
countries have not ratified the convention on rights of migrants

12. Conclusions
• Health systems issues in terms of trained workforce on SRHR, budgets
and public expenditure, inequalities in services, reach and coverage of
health insurance persist –COVID 19 added strain on health system
• Social determinants of SRHR like unequal gender based decision
making at home and in public space, wages and income, property
ownership, high gender based violence and issues like inequalities in
basic facilities/inequalities/climate change prevail
• Legislation on GBV (Russia) and gender equality, legislation/access to
abortion, and legal redress are issues
• Optional protocols remain unsigned to many conventions

13. Using UPRs to promote SRHR
Monitor SRHR
Monitor HR
Track functioning of health systems –SRHR
lens
Monitor social determinants of
SRHR/inequalities-
Strengthen presence/capacity of SRHR and
HR groups+UPR reporting/monitoring
Strengthen SRHR
capacity of working
group- in particular
to address the gaps

14. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC