The Commission also produced a video statement by the Chief Commissioner to UNHRC for screening at the formal adoption of the UPR recommendations on New Zealand at the 41st session of UNHRC. The advance copy of the Government’s adoption statement to the Human Rights Council informed the Government’s position on each of the UPR recommendations. Out of the 194 recommendations, 160 were agreed and 34 noted. Encouraging community action A UPR in country pre-session was held in October 2018 in Wellington, the first time an event of this kind has been held in New Zealand. The Commission hosted Geneva-based UPR Info, an international NGO that co-ordinates the pre-session UPR reporting processes. The pre-session itself was moderated by UPR Info and attended by diplomatic representatives from 32 embassies who heard from, and had dialogue with, a panel of 13 civil society and NGOs covering a wide range of human rights issues. Around 60 civil society observers also attended and participated in an open session following the dialogue.  In the week leading up to the pre-session, UPR Info and the HRC carried out training sessions in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to assist NGOs and civil society representatives to participate effectively in the pre-session process.    Impact The following activities have contributed to the Commission’s international human rights engagement: • The Commission participated in the 9th examination by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) from 9-13 July 2018 in Geneva. All recommendations made by the Commission were substantively reflected in the Committee’s Concluding Observations released on 31 July 2018. • The Commission participated in the EMRIP annual session and cohosted a successful joint side event with Te Puni Kökiri and the Independent Monitoring Mechanism for the UNDRIP. The co-hosting of the event by government, the Commission and indigenous peoples’ organisations represented a significant step in the ongoing discussions with the Government and the Monitoring Mechanism in relation to working together to develop a national action plan for the UNDRIP. The EMRIP members expressed strong interest in this work, and subsequently visited New Zealand under their country engagement mandate. 30 Human Rights Commission