Statement from the Chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee, Jacqui Dean MP
Chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee
For immediate release – 7 July 2016
International treaty examination of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international treaty that is
being considered by a Parliamentary select committee.
The Optional Protocol is a side-agreement to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which New
Zealand ratified in September 2008.
The Optional Protocol establishes an individual complaints mechanism for the Convention. It allows the Committee on the
Rights of persons with Disabilities (the Committee) to consider complaints from individuals or groups who claim their
rights under the Convention have been violated. The Committee can then investigate the complaint and make non-binding
recommendations to the New Zealand Government. Although the Committee’s recommendations are not binding, they hold
considerable moral force.
Parliament’s Justice and Electoral Committee is now accepting public submissions on the international treaty
examination. Committee chairperson, Jacqui Dean MP, said that “Acceding to the Optional Protocol would reinforce New
Zealand’s strong commitment to human rights and ensure that complaints are heard and considered accordingly. We’re
looking forward to hearing what New Zealanders think about the treaty and what affect the Optional Protocol will have on
them.”
Submissions to the Justice and Electoral Committee are due by midnight on 9 August 2016.
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To find out more about the international treaty examination of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities visit:
See how to make a submission:
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