11 International Human Rights Law

In 2012, New Zealand continued its wide-ranging engagement with the United Nations treaty and Charter based bodies. In its engagement with the human rights treaty bodies, New Zealand met with the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (the Committee) over the course of three meetings in May to discuss New Zealand's third periodic report and subsequently received that Committee's concluding observations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) which, inter alia, called for human rights to inform the rebuilding of Christchurch. New Zealand also submitted its 18th to 20th consolidated periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and presented New Zealand's Submission of Follow-up Responses to the Human Rights Committee. The Committee Against Torture prepared a list of issues concerning the submission of New Zealand's sixth periodic report. New Zealand was an active observer State of the Human Rights Council. Notably, it introduced and sponsored a draft resolution on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights which was adopted. New Zealand was also an active participant in the Council's Special Session on Syria. The Human Rights Commission continued with its work, much of the focus of which was on the rebuilding of Christchurch. It also played an active role during the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' consideration of New Zealand's third periodic report. This note reviews these and other aspects of New Zealand's state practice in the area of human rights in 2012.