The UN’s 132 recommendations encourage the UK to strengthen human rights protection for vulnerable individuals. It says the government must ensure that children, women, ethnic minorities and disabled people are protected from violence and discrimination.

The UN also recommends that the rights set out in the Equality Act, the Human Rights Act and international human rights laws are preserved and strengthened. It notes that the right balance must be found between security and people’s basic rights, for example in the areas of stop and search, counter-terrorism and migration policy. The findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Review in England and Wales were supported by the UN recommendations.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as UN accredited A status National Human Rights institution (NHRI) has engaged extensively with the Universal Periodic Review. In March 2012, in cooperation with the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, the EHRC hosted a side event to the Human Rights’ Council’s 19th Session. ’Preparing for the Universal Periodic Review of the United Kingdom - A briefing for Permanent Missions by the UK A status National Human Rights Institutions’ aimed to inform Human Rights Council State Parties about key human rights priorities in the UK.

In November 2011 the EHRC provided an independent assessment of human rights in Great Britain to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In Autumn 2011 the EHRC supported an awareness raising project across England and Wales encouraging voluntary sector organizations to engage with the process and submit information to the OHCHR. The EHRC is now developing a project to support the acceptance and implementation of UPR recommendations.