The Vanuatu Daily Post – The MSG Secretariat’s Director General, Ambassador Amena Yauvoli has congratulated the Government of Vanuatu, in particular Minister for Justice and Community Services Don Ken and his distinguished delegation who recently presented Vanuatu’s national report to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in Geneva last week.
Ambassador Yauvoli acknowledged the great efforts undertaken by the Vanuatu government since its last UPR in 2013 to address its human rights priorities and noted Vanuatu’s best practice of publishing a UPR implementation plan and being the only country in the region to do so.
“Apart from the Implementation Plan, the Vanuatu National report highlights key achievements by the government on various human rights including the submission of the initial and combined periodic report of the CRPD; the completion of the 2nd and 3rd periodic report and constructive dialogue with the CRC Committee, the completion of the 4th and 5th report on CEDAW and constructive dialogue with the CEDAW Committee; the endorsement of the Child Protection Policy 2016-2026, the Child Safeguarding Policy 2017-2020; the establishment of an External Inspection team for the monitoring of correction centres, the establishment of a Ministry of Climate Change, the passing of the Right to Information Act and the establishment of a unit in the PM’s office, the National Disability Inclusive Development Policy 2018-2025 and the National Anti-Corruption Policy Framework 2018-2022 among others are truly remarkable achievements,” Ambassador Yauvoli noted.
“The MSG Secretariat is also pleased to have provided technical support throughout the preparatory stages by the government including assisting the drafting committee of the national report and recently holding a mock UPR session to the Honourable Minister’s delegation prior to their departure for Geneva. We are also pleased that our partnership with SPC RRRT is strengthened through our joint support to the government in this area,” DG Yauvoli added.
The UPR is the UN Human Right’s Council periodic review of all member states on the actions they have taken to improve human rights situations in their countries and fulfil their human rights obligations. Vanuatu was reviewed at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on January 24, 2019.
The MSG Secretariat will work with its partners especially SPC RRRT to support the Vanuatu government’s efforts in the implementation of key recommendations from this review as well as to our other members who will be undertaking this national obligation Ambassador Yauvoli remarked.
Following its review under the UPR, the member state will have about four years to work on implementing accepted recommendations. Vanuatu’s next UPR is in 2024.
