UPR Lebanon Side Event: Assessing the Human Rights Situation in Lebanon
UPR Lebanon Side Event: Assessing the Human Rights Situation in Lebanon
On 19 January 2026, the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) and its civil society partners organized a side event titled “Assessing the Human Rights Situation in Lebanon” on the margins of the 51st session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The side event was held ahead of Lebanon’s fourth Universal Periodic Review, which also took place the same day during the afternoon session of the UPR Working Group. Together, the side event and the official review constituted a key moment for civil society engagement with the UPR process.
The discussion focused on the current human rights situation in Lebanon, highlighting persistent challenges related to economic and social rights, civil and political rights, judicial accountability, refugee rights, and freedom of religion or belief. Speakers also reflected on gaps in the implementation of recommendations accepted during previous UPR cycles and emphasized the need for concrete, rights-based reforms.
The session was moderated by Aoife Daly from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), with interventions from:
- Zahra Bazzi (Arab NGO Network for Development – ANND) on economic and social rights
- Saadeddine Shatila (Cedar Centre for Legal Studies – CCLS) on civil and political rights and judicial accountability
- Ghassan Abdallah (Palestinian Human Rights Organisation – PHRO) on Palestinian refugee rights
- Fadi Hachem (Adyan Foundation) on freedom of religion or belief
The side event also built on the collective efforts of Lebanese civil society in the UPR process. ANND collaborated with more than 75 local and national civil society organizations to prepare the 2025 Civil Society Report, which forms part of Lebanon’s preparations for its fourth UPR cycle and serves as a key advocacy and accountability tool.
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