Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr President,
New Zealand welcomes the participation of the Republic of Korea today.
Firstly, we would like to commend Korea for decriminalising abortion as an important step in recognising the rights of women. New Zealand recommends that Korea enact legislation which would provide the legal basis to enshrine this reform.
We also commend Korea for its legislative work to protect those with disabilities.
We recommend that the Republic of Korea:
- Take measures to improve the quality of education and care institutions for persons with disabilities.
- Legalizes same-sex marriage, and ensures that same-sex couples are recognised as having the same rights and responsibilities as opposite-sex couples in de facto relationships.
- Entrenches its moratorium on executions through the formal abolition of the death penalty including taking legislative action to permanently remove the death penalty from Korean law.
We wish the Republic of Korea all the best for its review.
Thank you Madam President.