18.
New Zealand has agreed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda. At
this time the 17 SDG Goals and their related targets are agreed and indicators are
being developed. The Danish Human Rights Institute has developed a useful resource
that highlights the relevant human rights conventions to the related goals and targets. 8
The member states of the United Nations have agreed that data will be collected for
each of the agreed indicators and that data on children and other vulnerable groups
will be disaggregated. It will be clearer by the time of the review by the CRC of New
Zealand how New Zealand intends to implement this obligation but if done
comprehensively there is significant potential for the SDG data to inform CRC
reviews.
Recommendations for the Committee
19.
The Committee may wish to consider including the following questions in its List
of Issues for the New Zealand Government:
Has the Government undertaken any analysis or assessment of the child
rights impact that an actuarial “investment approach” to funding is likely
to have on child protection services and other social services for children,
pursuant to its obligations under Article 4? If not, does it intend to do so?
What measures has the Government taken, or intends to take, to ensure
that private providers delivering child protection services for children are
required to do so in accordance with the Government’s obligations under
the Convention?
What measures has the Government taken, or intends to take, to monitor
and assess the performance of those providers in protecting and
promoting the rights of children under the Convention?
Does the Government intend to take steps to ensure that social sector
commissioning arrangements and instruments incorporate the UN
Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights?
Systemic approaches to address the impact of child poverty
20.
Since 2011, the detrimental impact of household income poverty on the health and
well-being of children has perhaps been the principal children’s rights issue in New
Zealand and has generated considerable public awareness and concern.
21.
This was, to a significant degree, due to a major report issued in 2012 by the Expert
Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty (EAG), a group of independent experts
commissioned by the Children’s Commissioner. The EAG issued 78
recommendations that covered a range of areas, including social security benefits and
8
http://www.humanrights.dk/human-rights-guide-sdgs
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