Economic, social and cultural rights In March, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights examined the New Zealand Government’s fourth periodic report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Commission attended the review, having earlier facilitated a video conference between New Zealand civil society groups and the UN Committee. As with the CERD review, a large majority of the Commission’s recommendations were reflected in the concluding observations issued by the Committee. These recommendations provide a strong platform for domestic and international advocacy work in all social, economic and cultural areas. Universal Periodic Review In February and March, the Commission participated in public consultation hui facilitated by MFAT in eight regions around New Zealand. The results of these hui – as well as the outcomes of other consultation hui the Commission facilitated for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) review – will inform the submission process for New Zealand’s third UPR review before the UN Human Rights Council. The Commission provided information on how individuals and groups can participate in the UPR process. The New Zealand Government will appear before the UN Human Rights Council in January 2019. Further extensive public events are planned by the Commission leading up to the civil society UPR pre-session scheduled for December 2018. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples To mark the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Commission partnered with Massey University’s Global Centre for Indigenous Leadership to co-host a two-day conference. The conference was attended by more than 170 people and included local and international speakers. Presentations and workshops looked at progress and challenges of implementing the Declaration in the past 10 years and discussed practical ways of using UNDRIP and other human rights instruments and processes to advance indigenous rights in Aotearoa New Zealand. Workshops have been held with iwi, in partnership with the UNDRIP Monitoring Mechanism, to inform the Monitoring Mechanism’s annual monitoring report to the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), as well as the Commission’s indigenous rights work. Workshop themes have focused on equality and discrimination, te reo me ngä tikanga (language and culture), participation in decision-making, constitutional transformation and extractive industries. The Commission’s work on indigenous rights and in the Treaty space will continue to advocate for better outcomes for Mäori. Annual Report 2018 29