COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIESUNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION

Comments by the Government of New Zealand* **to the conclusions andrecommendations of the Committee against Torture

GE.07-40385[19 December 2006]

The UN Committee Against Torture’s conclusions and recommendations includes a statement by the Committee that the “the Committee welcomes the State Party’s willingness to ratify the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention relating to the Reduction of Statelessness, and recommends it to ratify these instruments in a timely manner.” The Committee’s conclusions and recommendations also includes a statement noting the declared intent to withdraw reservations to the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention.

New Zealand wishes to clarify the correct position regarding these instruments. New Zealand is currently working towards accession to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. New Zealand has not decided to accede to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons at this time. Accordingly, the statement by the Committee Against Torture in relation to the 1954 Convention is misleading. New Zealand is also actively progressing work towards lifting all of its reservations to the CRC and the CAT, but final decisions at Ministerial level are yet to be taken.

The Government of New Zealand thanks the Committee for its conclusions and recommendations, which will inform further policy development on the instruments in question. Information in respect of our response to the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee will be included in our 5 th periodic report to be presented to the Committee in January 2007.

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