Statement from the Chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee, Jacqui Dean MP
Chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee

For immediate release – 7 July 2016

International treaty examination of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international treaty that is being considered by a Parliamentary select committee.

The Optional Protocol is a side-agreement to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which New Zealand ratified in September 2008.

The Optional Protocol establishes an individual complaints mechanism for the Convention. It allows the Committee on the Rights of persons with Disabilities (the Committee) to consider complaints from individuals or groups who claim their rights under the Convention have been violated. The Committee can then investigate the complaint and make non-binding recommendations to the New Zealand Government. Although the Committee’s recommendations are not binding, they hold considerable moral force.

Parliament’s Justice and Electoral Committee is now accepting public submissions on the international treaty examination. Committee chairperson, Jacqui Dean MP, said that “Acceding to the Optional Protocol would reinforce New Zealand’s strong commitment to human rights and ensure that complaints are heard and considered accordingly. We’re looking forward to hearing what New Zealanders think about the treaty and what affect the Optional Protocol will have on them.”

Submissions to the Justice and Electoral Committee are due by midnight on 9 August 2016.

END

To find out more about the international treaty examination of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities visit:

• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

See how to make a submission:

• Parliament website - make a submission on the international treaty examination of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

What happens next?

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