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Paul Hunt has called on the Government to ensure that Human Rights are made relevant in the everyday lives of all New Zealanders.
Speaking at his Pōwhiri yesterday (Thursday, January 24, 2019) in Wellington, the newly appointed Chief Human Rights Commissioner said that Human Rights place the well-being, dignity and equality of individuals and communities at the centre of all law, policy and practice,.
One of the Human Rights issues that needs addressing is poverty, he said.
Below the Poverty Line
“Almost 30% of New Zealand children live in households whose income falls below the income poverty line. Poverty is simply a Human Rights issue. We need to start viewing poverty as an intolerable injustice. At the same time, we need to recognise that by taking a Human Rights approach to issues such as poverty, we can more effectively address them,” he said.
A Human Rights approach helps ensure the most vulnerable are not overlooked or forgotten when developing solutions, he said.
Mr Hunt said that it also ensures those living in poverty are actively involved in developing ways of reducing and eliminating poverty.
“The disabled community has a mantra, ‘Nothing about us, without us’, which is also relevant to other disadvantaged groups,” Mr Hunt said.
Independent Accountability
A Human Rights approach would also ensure constructive independent accountability for government initiatives such as those aimed at poverty reduction and elimination.
“Such accountability means not punishing people if initiatives don’t work but urgently identifying what would work better,” said Mr Hunt.
Key indicators
He is alarmed that Māori, Pacific peoples, women, disabled people, migrants and refugees continue to experience markedly worse outcomes across a range of key indicators, such as housing, health, income, employment and education.
Mr Hunt said that he would be advocating for the Government to take a Human Rights approach as it rolled out its reform agenda, consistent with New Zealand’s national and international Human Rights commitments.
About Paul Hunt
Mr Hunt has vast Human Rights experience encompassing civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, having worked with organisations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation, addressing issues such as health and improving economic, social, and cultural rights.
He has served on the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1999-2002) and as a Special Rapporteur to the UN Human Rights Council (2002-2008).
Mr Hunt has been admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales and holds a Master of Jurisprudence from the University of Waikato, where he was a Senior Lecturer in Law from 1992-2000.
He has published extensively on a wide range of Human Rights issues. In recognition of his contribution to Human Rights, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Nordic School of Public Health in 2008.
Mr Hunt comes to the Human Rights Commission from the University of Essex where he was a Professor in the School of Law.
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