Treaty, reinforcing the recommendations made by the Constitutional Review Panel in 2013. The UPR recommendations also emphasised the need for Aotearoa New Zealand to take steps to address child poverty, prevent violence against women and children and to limit discrimination in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes. Other recommendations included steps to strengthen the human rights of New Zealanders by adopting new national and international laws and protocols. It is anticipated that the Government will respond to the United Nations Human Rights Council about the UPR recommendations in May 2014. The Government has committed to work with the Commission, NGOs and civil society to develop Aotearoa New Zealand’s second National Plan of Action for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. The plan will be directly informed by the Universal Periodic Review process. The Human Rights Commission will lead and coordinate the development of the plan. This will not be a plan for the Commission; instead it will be a plan for all of Aotearoa New Zealand containing actions that the Commission, Government, communities and wider society will take to improve the realisation of rights and freedoms for all people in our country. You can find out more about the UPR and read the full list of recommendations at: www.hrc.co.nz/UPR. Preparing for international human rights events in 2014 The next United Nations World Conference on Indigenous Peoples will be held in New York in 2014. Commissioner Karen Johansen and Kaiwhakarite Te Huia Bill Hamilton attended a Pacific preparatory meeting which brought together representatives of indigenous peoples from across the Pacific region. Indigenous rights issues and strategies in the Pacific were discussed and delegates agreed key topics that would be tabled for discussion at the World Conference. Commissioner Johansen was also invited to speak at the Galdu Research Centre on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at its 10 year anniversary seminar in Norway. The Centre is dedicated to increasing the knowledge and understanding of Sami and other indigenous peoples’ rights. Commissioner Johansen spoke about the efforts being made in Aotearoa New Zealand to advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples. Tüi Tüi Tuituiä | Race Relations in 2013 In 2014, Aotearoa New Zealand will submit its sixth report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment (CAT). The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will also consider New Zealand’s first report, submitted in 2012. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Mäori, as the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, face unique challenges many of which are shared by indigenous peoples around the world. In order to address the marginalisation and discrimination of indigenous people, their individual and collective rights are set out in the United Nations Declaration for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The UNDRIP provides an internationally agreed framework for protecting and managing indigenous rights. It recognises the right of Mäori to land, natural resources, culture, values and traditions as well as the right to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations. Many articles of the UNDRIP intersect with the articles of the Treaty, providing scope to support the Treaty and strengthen its role in upholding indigenous rights. During 2013, the Commission promoted public awareness of the UNDRIP, through facilitated discussion and advice for whänau, hapü, iwi and government agencies on ways to implement it in policy and practice. The Commission is also engaging with iwi leaders about developing a monitoring mechanism to ensure the New Zealand Government’s commitment to the UNDRIP is translated into action. The need to promote the UNDRIP was also backed up by the United Nations in its Universal Periodic Review report (January 2014) which recommended that Aotearoa New Zealand do more to ensure that the UNDRIP is implemented. The Commission’s Tühonohono project continued to work closely with Mäori communities to build human rights capacity and leadership. In 2013, the project focused on communities in Kaitaia, Hokitika, Wairoa and Queenstown supporting Tangata Whenua to incorporate human rights 13