On 14 August 2024, CCIG offered an in-person training session on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process to representatives of Associazione Communità Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23). The session was offered to five members of APG23, including two young volunteers from the International Civil Service, at the CCIG office in Geneva. The goal of the training was to give participants a stronger understanding of the UPR process, enabling them to use the mechanism in their own work. At the training, participants learned about the structure of the UPR cycle and opportunities for engagement by civil society, including through submitting a written report, lobbying member states to put forth recommendations, making an oral statement during the UPR adoptions, and conducting monitoring and follow-up measures.

The participants had already been introduced to the UPR prior to the training, so the session offered practical insights on how to engage with this mechanism and an interactive environment with many opportunities for discussion. After the presentation, participants asked questions and shared ideas, discussing topics such as additional ways to use written submissions and the role of the UPR in relation to other UN human rights bodies. Overall, participants in the training gained a more technical understanding of the UPR and learned best practices for civil society engagement in the process.