Human Rights Commission

As part of the process of reporting on implementation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Pacific states that reported in 2008–09 have been invited to a seminar in Auckland today (Thursday 19 May).

The seminar, organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat, aims to provide an opportunity to share progress and difficulties encountered, strategise on addressing challenges, and to plan how to organise work on the range of recommendations to be implemented from the review process.

The four Pacific states attending the seminar will provide a follow-up report on the implementation of their accepted recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva over the next two years.

New Zealand, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Tonga will be taking part in the seminar, which is open to states, National Human Rights Institutions (including the Human Rights Commission) and NGOs.

The seminar will provide space to take innovative, creative or successful approaches from elsewhere and make use of them in States own contexts, says the Head of Human Rights at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Dr Purna Sen. “For the countries in discussion here have accepted over 100 recommendations between them – that means there is a lot of implementation to be done!

“There are some repeated areas of action for those here flowing from UPR and these include: increased ratifications, Paris Principles compliant NHRIs, addressing gender inequality and violence against women,” says Dr Sen.

“There is value to sharing approaches and ideas, together addressing the challenges we face. For these, too, are often shared.”

For more information on the UPR process, visit the Human Rights Commission’s website or the website of the Commonwealth Secretariat.