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State promotion of global women’s rights in the Universal Periodic Review
Journal article   Open access

State promotion of global women’s rights in the Universal Periodic Review

Yooneui Kim, Sara McLaughlin Mitchell and Nila Zarepour-Arizi
The Review of International Organizations
03/21/2026
DOI: 10.1007/s11558-026-09619-5
url
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11558-026-09619-5View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

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Abstract

This study investigates the characteristics of countries that actively promote global women’s rights, focusing on their participation in the Universal Periodic Review process at the United Nations Human Rights Council. The UPR process allows states to make voluntary recommendations on various human rights issues, including gender equality. By analyzing which states provide multiple recommendations on women’s rights, we can infer their commitment to advancing these issues on a global scale. We hypothesize that states prioritizing women’s political empowerment within their own borders are more likely to reflect these values internationally by offering numerous recommendations on gender-related matters. Furthermore, states with higher levels of socialization through international women’s rights regimes are anticipated to be more proactive in making recommendations on gender issues. Our study utilizes UPR recommendation data from 2008 to 2022 to evaluate these domestic and international effects. While mixed, the empirical findings indicate that international factors more consistently influence states’ UPR gender-based recommendations than domestic factors. This research contributes to the understanding of how domestic and international dynamics intersect in the realm of global gender advocacy, offering insights into the motivations and behaviors of states within international human rights institutions.
 Universal periodic review (UPR) Women's rights International human rights institutions

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