Padova Model UPR, 8° edition, 25-28 November 2025

The Padova Model UPR is an annual academic simulation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a unique United Nations (UN) mechanism which reviews the human rights records of all UN Member States. This simulation offers participants an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms and dynamics of the UPR procedure held in Geneva through active participation.

The Padova Model UPR offers students from around the world a unique opportunity to learn about human rights, democracy and diplomacy in an interactive and engaging manner. It is the original, and most comprehensive, academic simulation of the UPR. By assuming the roles of State delegates, NGOs, and National Human Rights Institutions, participants will gain an understanding of the UPR procedure, which involves assessing States’ human rights records and addressing human rights violations. Professors of the University of Padova and Padova’s Human Rights Centre, along with the student Secretariat, will provide professional guidance and support throughout the event, including delivering a training programme. Participating teams will be assigned different roles, including: serving as representatives of States under Review, the Troika States, Reviewing States, as well as representing Civil Society Organisations. Further, to provide a full realistic experience, participants will also interact within the UPR Working Group and the sessions of the Human Rights Council. During the simulation, participants will review and analyse the human rights performance of the concerned States, participate in the interactive debate, and adopt the final lists of accepted and noted recommendations.

The Padova Model UPR is organised by an international team of students and former delegates, with the coordination of professors from the Human Rights Centre “Antonio Papisca” and the MA Degree Programme in Human Rights and Multi-level Governance (HRG). It is supported by the Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies (SPGI), the Archive "Peace Human Rights" of the University of Padova, and the UN and NGO experts.

The eighth annual event will be held from 25 to 28 November 2025, and there are no fees for participation.

The Padova Model UPR is open to university students who are in the final year of their undergraduate studies, as well as postgraduate students in a relevant field (including law, human rights, and international relations). The operational language of the Padova Model UPR is English.

You can learn more about the operational guidance for the implementation of the Padova Model 2025, by downloading our MODEL UPR HANDBOOK.

Who can participate?

- All International (European and Non-European) students older than 18 years of age;
- Bachelor students (must have completed at least 2 years), Master's students and PhD students, preferably in the fields of Political Sciences, Human Rights, International Relations, Social Sciences or Legal Studies;
-  We accept both individual and team applications, however we give priority to applications in teams.

How to apply

Evidence of inappropriate AI use in the application process will be grounds for disqualification/rejection.
The application is open from 16th June 2025.

Deadline for the application:

• Non-EU citizens: 5th September 2025
• EU citizens: 3rd October 2025

Modalities of participation

As a team representing States
- 6 Teams representing States – each team will be composed by 4 members as delegates. 
States represented for the 2025 Padova Model UPR are listed as follows:

• Australia
• Denmark
• Lebanon
• Rwanda
• Singapore 
• Trinidad and Tobago 

Competency in languages that may help authentically represent a State is beneficial and should be considered when applying.

In pairs representing NGOs or NHRIs
- 4 Teams representing International NGOs– each team will be composed by 2 members as NGO representatives.
INGOs represented for the 2025 Padova Model UPR are listed as follows:

• International Alliance for women 
• International Refugee Assistance Project
• Friends of the Earth International 
• Human Dignity Trust

- 4 Teams representing National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) – each team will be composed by 2 members as NHRI representatives. 
NHRIs represented for the 2025 Padova Model UPR are listed as follows:

• Australia’s National Human Rights Institution 
• Danish Institute for Human Rights 
• Lebanon - National Commission for Human Rights 
• Rwanda - National Commission for Human Rights

Outline of the main phases

1) Preparatory phase: October-November 2025

Training Sessions (online)

2) Simulation phase: 25-28 November 2025 (Padova)