Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you Mr President.
Respect for human rights is critical for our collective stability, security, and prosperity. Societies in which citizens can enjoy their universal human rights have a better chance of avoiding the descent into conflict that tragically impacts so many across the world today.
That is why the work of this Council is important. And why human rights is one of the three core pillars of the United Nations. All three pillars – peace and security, development and human rights – are mutually reinforcing.
New Zealand supports the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This includes in the Pacific, where its technical assistance and partnerships continue to strengthen the realisation of human rights and sustainable development across the region.
This Council is also important for accountability when violations do occur. New Zealand strongly supports the mandate of this Council to look at specific, serious situations of global concern, as it did recently in respect of human rights abuses in Iran. The investigative mechanisms that it establishes, such as those for Myanmar and Sudan, are important for accountability and ultimately for lifting respect for human rights universally.
This Council is not operating in isolation and also needs to do its part in the wider UN80 reform initiatives underway. Given the scale of its current structural, fiscal, and geopolitical challenges, the United Nations and its Member States have no choice but to change the way we do things.
New Zealand wants to see bold and effective reforms that enhance the United Nation’s credibility and legitimacy. We want to see a UN system more focused on delivering real impact and value for the people it serves.
We must remember that a lot is within our control as Member States. We collectively generate the work of the UN and we each have a responsibility to respect its Charter. We want to use this opportunity to work with others to secure positive changes to the way we do things.
That is why New Zealand is engaging actively in the ‘UN80’ reform process. And why – together with Jamaica – we are co-chairing the Mandate Implementation Review process under Workstream Two. This will design a new approach for how we all as Member States task the UN through resolutions and decisions, including of this Council, which in turn impacts where and how the UN spends it time and resources.
For New Zealand, reform is not just about budget cuts. It is about having a UN that is effective and focused.
We want to see rationalisation because the sheer volume of initiatives, meetings, reports and resolutions is undermining their overall effectiveness.
The success of the Secretary-General’s process will depend on all of us, as Member States, changing the way we do things. We strongly believe we need to reform the way we do things in order to make our collective work more effective.
We encourage all Members to continue participating in the reform process with an open and positive mindset so we can collectively ensure we have a United Nations that is fit for purpose and delivers for the decades ahead.
Thank you Mr President.