A Universal Periodic Review evaluates human rights in Belgium

On 6 May 2026, the UN Human Rights Council carried out a review of the human rights situation in our country. All UN Member States are reviewed in this way. Critical examinations of this type are more important than ever, especially in a world where the very concept of universal rights is under pressure.

One of the core tasks of the United Nations Human Rights Council is to conduct a thorough review of human rights in all 193 UN Member States every 4.5 years: this is known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
 

251 recommendations

Belgium's turn came around on 6 May 2026. In the past, this already happened in 2011, 2016, and 2021. In 2021, our country accepted 251 recommendations from 119 different countries. During his intervention on 6 May, Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot highlighted the progress that had been made with regard to human rights since the last UPR and responded to remarks issued from the floor.

Minister Prévot went on to list the measures by which the government intends to end prison overcrowding. He also referred to an action plan to improve the reception of asylum seekers.
 

A sign of confidence

So a UPR does not avoid the hot topics. “Some may wonder: why would a country voluntarily submit to critical scrutiny of this type? But that's precisely the point,” the minister explained afterwards.

“Speaking openly about our shortcomings is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of confidence in the system we ourselves helped build,” he continued. “If we ask other countries to uphold human rights, we ourselves must be prepared to meet the same standard.”

“Human rights form part of Belgium's DNA. The universality, indivisibility, and interdependence of mutually reinforcing human rights are the basic principles of Belgium's approach, both at home and on the international stage. In a world where the very concept of universal rights is under pressure, exercises like the UPR are more important than ever,” concluded the minister.

No country is perfect

What makes a UPR so interesting is that each country recognises that no perfect human rights situation exists and that there is always room for improvement. The countries participating in the dialogue are in a unique position as equals. Indeed, they can alert the country whose turn it is to undergo a UPR to legislation or practices that exist on a national level and may have a negative impact on human rights in that country. The UPR not only enables a country to see what progress it has made, but also what still needs to be done.

The evaluation resulting from the UPR is based upon three reports. The first of those is a national report. The Belgian national report is the result of a close collaboration between all relevant players, on a federal, community, and regional level. Civil society was also involved. In December 2025, our FPS organised a consultation with civil society on the draft text of the report.

On the one hand, the two other reports summarise the information available to the UN itself and, on the other, the many contributions from (national and international) stakeholders: civil society, but also independent institutions.

Based on the session held on 6 May, the UN Secretariat is now preparing a report containing all of the formulated recommendations. The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September. Belgium may accept or note the recommendations.

For the sake of completeness, we would like to point out that the promotion and protection of human rights abroad are a priority for our FPS and form an area of activity to which our diplomats are committed on a daily basis.