Ministry Statements & Speeches:
5 November 2018
Mr President,
New Zealand welcomes the participation of Nigeria today.
Like Nigeria, New Zealand is concerned about abuses perpetrated by Boko Haram. We encourage progress on investigating the military’s compliance with human rights obligations. We are also concerned by recurring inter-communal violence. We recommend that Nigeria undertakes effective and impartial investigations into massacres, bringing those responsible to justice and ensuring redress for victims.
New Zealand recommends that Nigeria repeal legislation that discriminates against LGBTI individuals and same sex marriage, including relevant sections in the Criminal Code Act 1990 and the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013.
We recommend that Nigeria ensure that the rights of women are respected, protected and fulfilled including their rights to sexual and reproductive health, addressing discrimination through wife inheritance laws and prohibiting and eliminating child marriage.
New Zealand recommends that Nigeria establishes a moratorium on executions and works towards its abolition, including through ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR. We recommend Nigeria ensure that no death sentences are imposed on any persons below the age of 18 at the time when the offence was committed.
Finally, New Zealand recommends that Nigeria fully co-operates with the UN human rights mechanisms, by fulfilling its reporting obligations under the various treaty bodies.
Thank you Mr President.