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New Zealand thanks all three special rapporteurs for their reports. In the interests of time, we will limit ourselves to posing a question to the Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Expression and Opinion. However, we first take this opportunity to comment that we agree with the Special Rapporteur on Health’s observation that we require greater coordination between all those who work on the right to health at the national and international level, including UN agencies. We thank Mr Hunt for his work on the development of indicators, which provides a useful contribution to an analytical framework to assess the realisation of the right to health.
Turning to the latest report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, New Zealand expresses its appreciation to Mr Ligabo for the work he has carried out in the promotion and protection of the freedom of expression and opinion.
Paragraph 84 of the report urges media professionals, as well as the public at large, to be conscious of the potential impact that the ideas they express may have in raising cultural and religious sensitivities, and of the need to enhance professional ethics and sensitivity to cultural diversity amongst the media profession.
This recommendation is of course without prejudice to a free media, which we value, but what it does is rightly suggest that freedom comes with responsibility, and with responsibility comes judgement.
New Zealand, which is a diverse multi-faith society, considers that interfaith and inter-cultural dialogue can play an important complementary role to the right to freedom of opinion and expression, for example in avoiding misunderstandings between cultures and in increasing sensitivity to one another’s’ deeply held beliefs and traditions.
In this context, the 3rd Asia Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue, held in New Zealand last year, brought together leaders of the region’s diverse faith spectrum, from 15 countries in the Southeast Asia and Pacific region.
Discussion of freedom of expression and opinion was integral to the success of the Interfaith Dialogue, which resulted in the adoption of an action plan, including a recommendation to improve the quality, coverage and critical consumption of religious issues reported in the media.
In addition, New Zealand hosted a cross-regional symposium on the Alliance of Civilisations to discuss how to give effect to the report’s practical actions, including those in respect of raising awareness an understanding amongst journalists of intercultural issues, the need for accuracy in reporting on such issues and for education in media studies and critical interpretation in school learning.
Mr Ligabo, further to the recommendations in paragraph 84 and in light of your comment yesterday that dialogue among civilisations should be the central strategy that needs to be adopted by the international community, we would be interested to hear further comment on interfaith or intercultural activities in which you have been able to engage under your mandate.
