Highlights from UPR Session 51

By Rebecca Oas, Ph.D. | July 20, 2026

The 51st session of the Universal Periodic Review was held in April-May of 2025, and 13 countries were reviewed: Australia, Austria, Georgia, Lebanon, Mauritania, Micronesia, Nauru, Nepal, Oman, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and São Tomé and Príncipe. All of the countries issued responses to the recommendations they received, and their reports were adopted at the 62nd regular session of the Human Rights Council in June-July 2026.

Here are some highlights from the 51st UPR session:

  • C-Fam submitted reports for the reviews of Oman and Nauru in its capacity as a civil society participant in the process. The reviews 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 countries being reviewed received 3,370 total recommendations, with an average of around 260 received by each country. Micronesia received the fewest recommendations (170) and Australia received the most (347).
  • 70% of all recommendations received during this session were marked as “supported,” which is slightly lower than the average of ~73%.
  • The countries being reviewed received pressure on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) issues 121 times and on abortion 22 times. Georgia received the most SOGI pressure (21 recommendations) and Austria received the most abortion pressure (6 times).
  • Iceland issued 29 of the recommendations containing SOGI pressure (24%) and 9 of the recommendations containing abortion pressure (41%).
  • The abortion pressure recommendations were marked as “supported” only 3 times out of 22 (14% acceptance.)
  • The SOGI pressure recommendations were marked as “supported” only 7 times out of 121 (6% acceptance.)
  • Not all abortion-related recommendations contained pressure to liberalize countries’ abortion laws. Nepal received two recommendations to end the practice of sex-selective abortions from Montenegro and New Zealand, both of which were marked “supported.” Nauru received a recommendation from the Holy See to maintain its existing legal protections for the unborn, which was also marked “supported.”
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