NZ's human rights record: submissions due

In May 2009, the government's overall performance on human rights will be examined for the first time through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. The UPR is a mechanism established in 2006 whereby the UN Human Rights Council reviews whether or not UN member states are fulfilling their human rights obligations and commitments.

This message has information about the newly released government draft report, NGO submissions on the draft report, and details of two related meetings (in Wellington on 2 March, and in Auckland on 5 March). This information, as well as background on the UPR, is available at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nzupr09.htm

Last week the government released its draft UPR report for public comment - the deadline for submissions on it is 5pm, Tuesday, 17 March. Links to the draft report and information on how you can make a submission are below.

The organisations that coordinated the combined NGO reports submitted as part of the UPR process last November (which will be considered alongside the government's report at the UPR hearing in May) are now working together on responses to the government's draft report - if you are interested in working with others on your submission, the contacts are:

- for responses focused on areas of the draft report relating to the Treaty of Waitangi and indigenous peoples' rights, contact the Aotearoa Indigenous Rights Trust and Peace Movement Aotearoa, email pma@xtra.co.nz

- for responses focused on areas of the draft report relating to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, contact the Human Rights Foundation, email margo.hrf@ihug.co.nz

- responses focused on areas of the draft report relating to children's rights, contact Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa, email feedback@acya.org.nz

If you are making a submission on the draft report, please consider sending a copy of it (or the link to your submission if it is on your web site) to Peace Movement Aotearoa email pma@xtra.co.nz to be uploaded to the UPR web page at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nzupr09.htm - this is especially important because the UPR process results in NGO reports being submitted to the Human Rights Council before the government's report. Having NGO responses publicly available is one way to make Council members aware of what NGOs think about what the government is saying.

Meetings about the government's draft report

~ Wellington, Monday 2 March - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is holding a public consultation meeting at 2pm, Level 3, Vogel Centre, Kate Sheppard Place. For more information or to RSVP if you are planning on attending, contact Paul Rothville, tel (04) 439 8291, email paul.rothville@mfat.govt.nz

~ Auckland, Thursday 5 March - the Human Rights Foundation is holding a civil society strategy meeting for NGOs to discuss and coordinate responses to the current stage of the UPR process. The meeting will include a report back on the Wellington MFAT consultation. If time permits, strategy in relation to other human rights processes will be discussed, in particular the voluntary pledges the government is currently forming as part of its bid for election to the Human Rights Council. From 5pm to 7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road; for more information or to RSVP if you are planning on attending, please contact Margo Baars, email margo.hrf@ihug.co.nz A printable flyer for the meeting is available at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/upr0309..pdf

Information about the government's draft report

The government's draft report is available as a pdf file at http://www.mfat.govt.nz/downloads/humanrights/upr-report.pdf and in sections as html pages at http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Foreign-Relations/1-Global-Issues/Human-Rights/Universal-Periodic-Review/Feb-2009-Report/index.php

There are three ways you can make a submission on the draft report: i) there is an online form at http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Foreign-Relations/1-Global-Issues/Human-Rights/0-forms/index.php ii) there is a printable form at http://www.mfat.govt.nz/downloads/humanrights/electronic-form-human-rights.rtf which you can fill in and email to UPR@mfat.govt.nz or post to Richard Kay, United Nations and Commonwealth Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Private Bag 18-901, Wellington 5045, or iii) you can email or post your comments to those addresses. If you wish to make your submission publicly available on the UPR web page, it would be best if you use options ii) or iii) above so it is in a format that can be easily sent to us.

Where you can get more information

- the NZ UPR information page at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nzupr09.htm

- the Human Rights Commission media release at http://www.hrc.co.nz/home/hrc/internationalhumanrights/nzsnationaluniversalperiodicreviewuprreport/nzsnationaluniversalperiodicreviewuprreport.php and the Commission's UPR report at
http://www.hrc.co.nz/hrc_new/hrc/cms/files/documents/05-Dec-2008_15-12-35_2008_UPR_Report_2008_Web.pdf

ENDS

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