The following article looks into the newly created Universal Periodic Review, a mechanism for evaluation of the human rights situation in all United Nations member states, briefly explaining its origin as well as the objectives it pursues, the principles that guide the process, and the different stages of carrying out the review itself. The article also refers to the experiences of three countries that were reviewed, namely Brazil, South Africa, and Poland, in order to illustrate how the Universal Periodic Review operates in practice, thereby attempting to give the reader a basic understanding of why this new mechanism was created, how it is structured, its innovations and intention to correct both problems and flaws of the past, and the transition of the review from paper to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]