The Ministry of Justice is seeking public feedback on the draft of New Zealand's 18th, 19th and 20th periodic reports (consolidated as one document) under the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The feedback period will run until 30 September 2011.
Published: Monday, 29 August 2011 | Rāhina, 29 Hereturikōkā, 2011
The Ministry of Justice is seeking public feedback on the draft of New Zealand's 18th, 19th and 20th periodic reports (consolidated as one document) under the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The feedback period will run until 30 September 2011.
The aim of the Report is to describe to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (the Committee) the legislative, judicial and administrative measures taken by New Zealand to give effect to CERD. The Report covers the period of 2006-2011.
The Ministry is also consulting on the CERD article 14 individual complaints procedure. Article 14 of CERD establishes a procedure for an individual or group claiming to be the victim of racial discrimination to lodge a complaint with the Committee. At the time that New Zealand became a party to CERD (in 1972), it did not accept this optional individual complaints procedure.
During the 2009 Universal Periodic Review, New Zealand accepted a recommendation to re-examine its position on Article 14. Part of this re-examination is seeking feedback from the public about whether or not New Zealand should now accept the individual complaints procedure under CERD.
More information and feedback forms for the draft Report and Article 14 can be found at http://www.justice.govt.nz/policy/constitutional-law-and-human-rights/human-rights/consultation, or available below: