Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr President,
New Zealand welcomes the appointment of a new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Volker Turk. We strongly support the independence of this role and look forward to working with him and his Office to promote and protect human rights around the world.
We condemn any instances of intimidation or reprisal, including against indigenous peoples, as occurred during the 15th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We must work together to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples in UN bodies and processes that impact them.
New Zealand welcomes the release of the Office of the High Commissioner’s independent report on the human rights situation in Xinjiang. We are deeply concerned by the report’s conclusion that serious violations have been committed against ethnic and religious minorities. We call on China to uphold its international human rights obligations and respond to the concerns and recommendations raised in the report.
New Zealand will continue to prioritise advancing the rights of women and girls. Tragically, these hard-won rights have trended backwards over the past year - most notably in Afghanistan. The Taliban must make good on its assurances to uphold these rights.
The combined crises of climate change, COVID-19 and conflict are exacerbating existing inequalities. Armed conflicts, including in Ethiopia, Syria and Yemen, continue to cause egregious human rights abuses and humanitarian crises.
New Zealand continues to condemn Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, as well as its disingenuous invocation of the Genocide Convention to justify its war of aggression.
Mr President, human rights embody universal values and these are at risk. We have a collective responsibility to work together to uphold the dignity of all people.
Thank you.