Highlights from UPR Session 49

By Rebecca Oas, Ph.D. | October 15, 2025

The 49th session of the Universal Periodic Review was held in April-May of 2025, and 14 countries were reviewed: Armenia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Spain, Sweden, and Türkiye. All of the countries issued responses to the recommendations they received, and their reports were adopted at the 60th regular session of the Human Rights Council in September-October 2025.

Here are some highlights from the 49th UPR session:

  • C-Fam submitted reports for the reviews of Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, and Sweden in its capacity as a civil society participant in the process. The reviews of Kenya and Kuwait focused on issues around maternal health, the protection of life, the centrality of the family, and national sovereignty, as these countries are members of the Geneva Consensus Declaration coalition.  The review of Kiribati encouraged it to join the coalition, and the review of Sweden focused on its ban on homeschooling and the importance of allowing parents to choose the education of their children, as well as Sweden’s lack of protection of the unborn and of minors from gender ideology.
  • The countries being reviewed received almost 3,900 total recommendations, with an average of about 277 received by each country. 76% of recommendations received in the session were marked as “supported.”
  • The countries being reviewed received pressure on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) issues 101 times and on abortion 30 times. Albania received the most SOGI pressure (14 recommendations) and Costa Rica received the most abortion pressure (9 times).
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