Visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples' Rights, 18 to 23 July 2010

Peace Movement Aotearoa

19 July 2010

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous People, Professor James Anaya, is visiting Aotearoa New Zealand from 18 to 23 July 2010. He is here at the invitation of the government to follow up on the visit of the previous Special Rapporteur, Dr Rodolfo Stavenhagen, who came in 2005 to assess the human rights situation of Maori following the enactment of the foreshore and seabed legislation.

This message has information and media releases about the visit; as well as background information on United Nations Special Rapporteurs, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples' Rights, visits by United Nations Special Procedures, and links to recent reports by other UN human rights bodies which comment on the New Zealand government's performance in relation to indigenous peoples' rights and the foreshore and seabed legislation.

Information and media releases
• UN Expert on Indigenous People in Follow-Up Mission to New Zealand, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 16 July 2010
• Minister of Maori Affairs, 16 July 2010: Welcome to the Special Rapporteur | Media Advisory: Special Rapporteur's Programme
About UN Special Rapporteurs

UN Special Rapporteurs are part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, one of the human rights monitoring mechanisms in the UN system.

'Special Procedures' is the general name given to the mechanisms that were initially established by the Commission on Human Rights - then assumed by the Human Rights Council following its establishment in 2006 - to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world.

Special Procedures' mandates are established and defined by the resolution which created them, and usually call on mandate holders to examine, monitor, advise and publicly report on human rights situations in specific countries or territories, known as country mandates, or on major phenomena of human rights violations worldwide, known as thematic mandates. There are currently 31 thematic and 8 country mandates.

Special Procedures are independent experts, appointed because of their particular knowledge of human rights. Special Procedures can be either an individual (with the title of Special Rapporteur, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, or Independent Expert) or a Working Group of experts usually composed of five members (one from each UN region). Mandate-holders serve in their personal capacity, and do not receive salaries or any other financial compensation for their work. More information about Special Procedures is available here.

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