Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Delivered by Permanent Representative.
Mr Vice-President,
New Zealand warmly welcomes the distinguished delegation from Poland.
New Zealand commends Poland for its significant and generous support for millions of displaced Ukrainian citizens, including the provision of social support mechanisms.
New Zealand remains concerned about the lack of specific legal protections for LGBTQI+ persons under Polish law. We are also concerned about restrictions on access to sexual and reproductive health services.
We recommend that Poland:
- Improves access to sexual and reproductive services, information, and education, including ensuring access to legal and safe abortion services without discrimination.
- Implements comprehensive measures to eliminate discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community, including by amending current hate crime provisions to include crimes against a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Ensures freedom of expression for media and civil society groups, including by taking steps to ensure that vexatious legal actions are not taken against journalists.
We wish Poland all the best for its review.
Thank you Mr President.