Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr Vice-President,
New Zealand warmly welcomes Minister Amos and the delegation from the Republic of Vanuatu.
We recognise the progress Vanuatu continues to make to realise the human rights of its people, particularly given the impacts of natural disasters on delivery of services such as education, health and infrastructure. These are important areas where New Zealand remains committed to working with you.
Vanuatu’s People’s Plan emphasises Vanuatu’s commitment to build an inclusive, resilient society that leaves no one behind. The promotion of human rights, non-discrimination and equal opportunity are key to this goal.
We recognise Vanuatu’s adoption of a National Gender Equality Policy since its last UPR. Implementation and resourcing remain key, including to address high rates of violence against women.
New Zealand recommends that Vanuatu support dialogue and voter education at community levels about the benefit of women’s leadership and political participation. This will help improve the under-representation of women in public and private spaces and address associated negative social norms.
We are concerned about a recent surge in violence, hate speech, discrimination and harm directed at individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
New Zealand therefore recommends that in order to build a society where no one is left behind, Vanuatu take steps to ensure that all people are able to live a life free from violence and intimidation, irrespective of sexual orientation and gender identity.
We thank the delegation for their participation and wish Vanuatu all the best for its review.
Thank you.