Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Madam President,
New Zealand welcomes the participation of Lesotho today.
New Zealand commends Lesotho’s wide ranging constitutional and security sector reforms, and acknowledges its ongoing commitment to fighting corruption.
New Zealand is concerned about Lesotho’s high rates of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and the lack of health care access for poor and rural women. We recommend that action be taken to improve maternal health and ensure equitable access to health services.
New Zealand also recommends that Lesotho decriminalises consensual same-sex relationships between adults, and introduce comprehensive anti-discrimination laws which include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Finally, New Zealand recommends Lesotho work towards abolishing the death penalty, [including through ratification of the Second Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights].
Thank you Madam President.