<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Government has presented Spain's national report on the human rights situation for the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), covering the period from 2020 to 2025, to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.</strong></h4> The presentation was made this Wednesday, April 30, by a government delegation led by the State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío, and composed of representatives from ten ministries. The report includes, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "the regulatory and institutional progress made by Spain in the last five years, detailing the specific measures adopted in areas such as children, gender equality, migration, health, housing, and education." The UPR is the mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council that allows all Member States to undergo, every five years, a review of their human rights commitments, achievements, and challenges. Through this process, countries are held accountable and receive recommendations on how to strengthen compliance with their international obligations and responsibilities. The session on Spain, in which 122 states participated, addressed issues such as the approval of the Second National Human Rights Plan, support for the international human rights system, the fight against racism and xenophobia through the creation of Oberaxe (Spanish Observatory against Racism and Xenophobia), the fight against gender-based violence, and the promotion of the rights of LGBTI people and people with disabilities. Likewise, according to the Foreign Ministry, "Spain was congratulated for the approval of the Law on the Right to Housing, as well as for the adoption of measures to promote the supply of adequate and affordable housing." During his speech, the State Secretary emphasized "Spain's firm commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, which guide the design and implementation of public policies in our country and underpin our foreign policy." Spain is currently a rotating member of the Human Rights Council.
