United Nations Association Coventry Branch calls on all UK citizens to write to their Member of Parliament (MP) to raise the profile of human rights in Parliament.

Please send the message shown below to your MP.

Finding your MP

You can find the email address of your MP is by visiting:

http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

The Message

Subject: Human Rights and the UPR

Dear [MP’s name],

To mark Human Rights Day on 10 December, I’m asking you, as my representative, to increase the profile of human rights in Parliament by raising the issue ahead of the UK’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) next Spring.

The UPR is a unique process by which the human rights records of all 193 UN member states are regularly reviewed. Set up by the UN Human Rights Council, it aims to hold states accountable for promoting and protecting the fundamental freedoms of their citizens.

In Spring 2017, as part of this process, it will be the UK Government’s turn to face scrutiny by the international community on how well it is living up to its human rights commitments.

This will be the UK’s third human rights review in UN history. Last time, in 2011, the UK accepted 73 recommendations from UN member states – these ranged from preventing modern slavery and human trafficking, to taking action on hate crime.

As a British citizen and a supporter of Coventry United Nations Association (UNACov.uk), I want to see that the UK is working hard to implement these recommendations, and therefore setting a positive example to other states.

This is why I am asking you to bring this issue to the attention of Parliament, so that MPs can consider whether the UK has succeeded in implementing the human rights recommendations it accepted four years ago.

During this period of domestic uncertainty – with the future of our human rights protections in question and with the UK preparing to leave the EU – it is more important than ever for the UK to preserve its strong legacy of leadership on the world stage.

For more information about the UK’s Universal Periodic Review, please see UNA-UK’s submission of evidence to the Human Rights Council:

https://www.una.org.uk/una-uk-evidence-uks-human-rights-record-universal-periodic-review

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

[Full name]

[Address]

[Post code]