The Effectiveness of South Africa’s Engagement with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR): Potential for Ritualism?

This article examines the effectiveness of South Africa’s engagement with the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review Mechanism (UPR). After two cycles of the UPR, questions on the ability of the UPR mechanism to improve the human rights situation on the ground is gaining increasing attention. This article introduces a new framework to evaluating state engagement with the UPR and underscores the value of cooperation and dialogue in monitoring human rights implementation. It analyses the extent of South Africa’s engagement with the UPR mechanism and considers the potential impact of human rights ritualism in the UPR engagement of South Africa.