ASEAN meetingAsia SnapshotAustralia NZ Leadership ForumBrisbane embassy openingCERCluster munitionsHuman Rights CouncilHuman Rights essay competitionIllegal Fishing activitiesIndia free trade agreementInternational Disability AwardLatin America visitNZ China FTANew CaledoniaPSI meetingSOI and Step ChangeSafetravel featureStockholm embassy opening
Start writing the country or territory name in the box. Typing more letters narrows the search. Click "go" or hit "Enter" to go to the information paper on the country or territory.
(We don't have information papers on all countries and territories.)
Although we have tried to use plain English content on the site, you may come across specialist terms and acronyms. Find out what they mean in our glossary of terms.
If you come across a term that isn't included in the Glossary please send us an email.
His Excellency The Honourable Anand Satyanand PCNZM, Governor-General of New Zealand, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Photo courtesy of Feature Photo Service
New Zealand received the Franklin Delano Roosevelt International Disability Award by the World Committee on Disability and the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, in recognition of its efforts to improve the rights of people with disabilities.
The Governor-General, Hon Anand Satyanand, accepted the award on behalf of New Zealand at the United Nations in New York on 6 May.
About 300 hundred people attended the presentation ceremony including the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and Franklin D Roosevelt’s grandson. The Secretary-General echoed other speakers by affirming New Zealand's "extraordinary leadership” in the field of disabilities, and also spoke of its longstanding support for the UN Charter.
The award recognises our domestic and international commitment to disabilities issues and efforts to develop and implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
New Zealand played a leading role in negotiations to conclude the Convention and these negotiations included unprecedented involvement by people with disabilities and representatives of civil society.
In accepting the award, the Governor-General also signalled New Zealand’s intention to seek election next year to the United Nations Human Rights Council.New Zealand has an ongoing commitment to human rights and to the rights of those living with disabilities and we take pride in our reputation as a good international citizen.
On returning home, the Governor-General handed over the award, a mounted bronze bust of President Roosevelt, at a ceremony at Government House in Wellington on 15 May. The ceremony was attended by many representatives of organisations working with those living with disabilities.
