New Zealand contributions to human rights instruments

New Zealand has taken an active role in the negotiation and drafting of several international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the .

New Zealand made a number of contributions in the lead up to and in the drafting of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948.

Its first involvement came in 1945 when a New Zealand delegation led by then Prime Minister Peter Fraser, attended the United Nations Conference on International Organization held in San Francisco. This conference resulted in the creation of the United Nations Charter, the founding document of the United Nations (UN).

At the time of the conference, Chapter One which sets out the purposes and principles of the proposed UN made no reference to human rights and fundamental freedoms. In light of this, New Zealand proposed a new paragraph be inserted in the Article 1 stating that “All members of the organisation undertake to preserve, protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in particular the rights of freedom from want, freedom of speech and freedom of worship.”

The amendment was not incorporated but there are several references to human rights and fundamental freedoms in both the Preamble and in Article 1 which stipulates one of the purposes of the United Nations as being:

To achieve international co-operation in solving problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.

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