UN concerned about violence against women and children in New Zealand

New Zealand's second National Report to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review took place on 27 January 2014 in Geneva.

Convened by the UN General Assembly in 2006, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process involving assessment of all 193 member states' human rights conditions. The process allows each state to declare what actions they have taken to improve human rights conditions in their country and fulfil their human rights obligations. The UPR process takes place once every 4.5 years.

Justice Minister Judith Collins presented the actions taken by the New Zealand government following the 2009 review.

Among the 155 recommendations made to New Zealand overall, participating member states highlighted the need to:

• In consultation with all relevant actors, develop a comprehensive action plan to target gender-based violence and violence against women;
• Allocate adequate resources to ensure the full implementation of measures to prevent violence against women and children;
• Develop a national action plan for women to address issues such as violence against women, pay equality, the situation of Māori and Pacific women and women with disabilities;
• To take further steps to advance the human rights of indigenous populations and reduce the remaining social differences for and discrimination against the Maori population;
• To step up efforts to prevent discrimination against members of the Māori and Pasifika communities in the criminal justice system and, in particular, the high rates of incarceration.

New Zealand’s National Report, which outlines New Zealand’s domestic human rights situation and steps the government has taken towards implementing the last UPR report in 2009, has been published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has also published New Zealand’s National Report as well as a compilation of UN information and its summary of stakeholders’ information on its website. 

The webcast of the full session is available online. Further updates are being added to the UPR updates page as they become available. The draft report of the Working Group was published online on 29 January 2014. Adoption of the report by the UPR Working Group on New Zealand is scheduled to take place on 31 January 2014.

Following the review, actions to be taken as a result of the UPR recommendations will be set out in a National Plan of Action for Human Rights to be prepared by the Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission will be working with the Government and civil society on the development of this plan over the next 12 months.

Media:

NZ’s reputation strong, efforts to continue, Media release: Judith Collins, Beehive, 01.02.14

UN gives NZ 155 human rights tasks, TV One, 01.02.14

Call for Govt to make domestic violence a higher priority, NewstalkZB, 01.02.14

Collins says UN human rights panel congratulated NZ, Radio NZ, 28.01.14

UN calls for action plan on domestic violence, NewsTalkZB, 28.01.2014

UN concern over violence in NZ, Stuff, 28.01.2014

Image: Flag of the United Nations by Makaristos. Licence: Public Domain.