On 30 June 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers approved Latvia’s position, presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the recommendations received during the fourth cycle of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review. Latvia’s position was prepared in close cooperation with, and based on the positions provided by, sectoral ministries, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ombudsman’s Office.
On 11 May 2026, at the United Nations in Geneva, Latvia received 243 recommendations from 80 UN Member States on further improving the protection and promotion of human rights in Latvia.
The recommendations cover a wide range of topics. Most of the recommendations presented to Latvia – 40 in total – concerns combating all forms of violence against women, including remaining a member of the Istanbul Convention and fully implementing it. Thirty-seven recommendations address issues of equality and non-discrimination, including combating hate speech and hate crimes, investigating such incidents and holding perpetrators accountable. Another15 recommendations concern combating human trafficking, improving conditions in detention facilities and promoting and protecting the rights of minorities. These are followed by recommendations concerning the most vulnerable groups – people with disabilities (12), children (10), LGBTI persons (10), women and girls (9), refugees and asylum seekers (9) – as well as promoting access to education (9) and health care (7), among other issues.
Of the 243 recommendations received, Latvia supports 135, partially supports 6, and takes note of 102 recommendations.
The recommendations are advisory in nature. Latvia will be required to provide updates on the implementation of these recommendations during the next Universal Periodic Review cycle, potentially in 2030–2031.
In September, the UN Human Rights Council will adopt the report of the UN Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review on Latvia, including the recommendations made to Latvia and Latvia’s responses to them.
For information
On 11 May 2026, the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review examined the human rights situation in Latvia.
The assessment of the human rights situation was based on the Republic of Latvia’s national report submitted within the framework of the fourth cycle of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, detailing Latvia’s achievements in the field of human rights protection from 2021 to 2025, as well as on information contained in UN documents and compilations of information submitted by other stakeholders – the Ombudsman, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and non-governmental organisations.