Human Rights Council: 45th Session of the Universal Periodic Review, China

Mr President,

New Zealand welcomes China’s presentation to this UPR session and recommends that China:

1. Ratify the ICCPR and its Second Optional Protocol;
2. Implement the Human Rights Committee’s 2022 recommendations to repeal the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law, and ensure processes to enact a new law are transparent and fulfil Hong Kong’s commitments under the ICCPR.
3. Implement the 2023 recommendations by CESCR and CEDAW on the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion by ethnic and religious minorities including ethnic Uyghurs and Tibetans;
4. Implement all recommendations from the 2022 OHCHR assessment of human rights concerns in Xinjiang;
5. Strengthen national legislation and public policy to explicitly prohibit all forms of discrimination including on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

We thank the delegation for their participation today, and for their consideration of these recommendations.

Thank you Mr President.