Intersectionality and the universal periodic review: A case study of Sudan's women's rights recommendations

Abstract

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a United Nations human rights monitoring mechanism aimed at advancing global human rights protection. With Sudan as a case study, this paper conducts a content and discourse analysis to explore the extent to which UPR women's rights recommendations incorporate an intersectional lens. Findings indicate that only 12 out of 129 recommendations issued to Sudan during the first three UPR cycles incorporate an intersectional lens, demonstrating that the UPR recommendations concerning women's rights in Sudan reflect a limited incorporation of intersectionality. This could negatively impact the advancement of women's rights protection for some groups of women in Sudan. Policy implications include the need for states to issue more intersectional recommendations; the incorporation of a higher level of intersectionality in stakeholder and national reports; and the need for the Sudanese government to implement intersectional recommendations through policies at the national level.