13 In 2014 New Zealand underwent its second Universal Periodic Review (“UPR”) before the United Nations Human Rights Council. Over 200 civil society organizations and individuals were involved in making 53 submissions to the UPR. One hundred and fifty five recommendations were made to New Zealand. The Government accepted 121 of these. By accepting these recommendations the Government has committed to take action to improve the realization of rights. These actions are set out in New Zealand’s National Plan of Action for the protection and promotion of Human Rights 2015 – 2019 (“NPA”).9 Forty nine of the 101 actions in the NPA relate directly to ICCPR obligations. A. Implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda 14 New Zealand’s commitment to realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda (“SDG Agenda”) will have a significant bearing on its progress in implementing ICCPR. Many of the Goals in the SDG Agenda have a direct correlation with ICCPR rights, such as the right to life, the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, the right to access to legal remedy, the right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to be free from discrimination.10 SDG Goal 16 is particularly relevant. 15 The incorporation of the SDG Agenda into the New Zealand public policy framework is currently at a very early stage. New Zealand is considering how it will report to the United Nations on the SDG Agenda particularly in relation to its sustainable development indicators.11 These indicators, which are being developed by the UN with the assistance of national statistics commissions, including Statistics New Zealand, will provide an international benchmark that will assist with the assessment of measures taken to implement ICESCR and to a lesser extent ICCPR. The Commission is encouraging Government to consider streamlined and harmonised reporting to the United Nations on the SDG Agenda to the High Level Political Forum and on human rights to the UN Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review. While there would be different reports they would complement each other. Such an approach would make consultation with and the involvement of civil society more effective. 9 http://npa.hrc.co.nz/#/page/about See Danish Institution of Human Rights, A human rights review of the proposed SDG Priority Indicators, http://www.humanrights.dk/files/media/dokumenter/human_rights_and_development/human_rights_guide_to_sdgs/SD G-HR-Indicators%20full%20guide.pdf 11 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1684SF_-_SDG_Universality_Report_-_May_2015.pdf 10 Page 8 of 93 Human Rights Commission submission to the Human Rights Committee in relation to New Zealand’s 6th periodic review under the ICCPR