This October Ukraine will present at the United Nations its second national report on the situation of human rights protection as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a new mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council.

Ukrainian Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych said that the Justice Ministry is the agency in charge of drawing up the national report for the UPR, the ministry's press service said on Monday.

According to the minister, the review procedure in the country includes the presentation of a national report, and holding an interactive dialogue between Ukraine and the UN Human Rights Council. He added that the Ukrainian delegation would answer questions regarding the country's international obligations in the sphere of human rights.

The presentation of the second national report is scheduled for October 24, 2012 during the 14th session of the UPR Working Group.

Lavrynovych also said that the Justice Ministry has formed an interdepartmental working group for the development of the national report. The group includes representatives of all profile agencies and the Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner.

The minister added that the ministry took into account recommendations and problems outlined in the reports of coalitions of non-governmental human rights organizations. The Ukrainian Helsinki Group coordinates public consultations and co-organizes working meetings as part of national discussions of the report.

The Universal Periodic Review is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States once every four years. The UPR provides an opportunity for each state to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations.