Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr President,
New Zealand welcomes the opportunity to comment on Samoa’s Universal Periodic Review outcome adoption. We acknowledge Samoa’s ongoing commitment to protecting human rights, as demonstrated by its Prime Minister’s engagement in the review process.
We commend the developments in Samoa since the last review, including those focused on improving the lives of children and people with disabilities. We note the National Policy for Persons with Disability 2021-2031 and its ongoing implementation.
We are encouraged by Samoa’s response to our recommendation to prioritize efforts to prevent and address violence against women and girls. We recognise the efforts made to address all forms of violence against women and children, and increasing women’s economic empowerment and participation. We encourage Samoa to maintain pace on its work in this area.
We also encourage Samoa’s further consideration of our earlier recommendation to review and strengthen gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination laws.
Finally, New Zealand acknowledges the impact of Covid-19 and the climate crisis on Samoa, and commends Samoa for its efforts to mitigate the effect of these challenges by protecting the well-being of its most vulnerable communities.
Thank you Mr President