Singapore and the Universal Periodic Review: An Ongoing Human Rights Assessment

Abstract

Singapore will soon submit a national report to and subsequently appear before the UN Human Rights Council for the country’s third cycle of the universal periodic review of its human rights situation. This review will elicit a rare expression of how Singapore feels it has adhered to international human rights law, and ways in which it may further refine or calibrate its domestic practices. This article seeks to identify Singapore’s human rights achievements; highlight challenges it should be prepared to address; and recommend measures it should adopt to promote human rights amidst the global fight against COVID-19.