Lord Cooke of Thorndon --- "Major United Nations Human Rights Instruments - Summary of New Zealand Commitments" [1999] VUWLawRw 9; (1999) 29(1) Victoria University of Wellington Law Review 54

MAJOR UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS

SUMMARY OF NEW ZEALAND COMMITMENTS

Instrument	Signed	Ratified[1]	In Force[2]
THE INTERNATIONAL BILL OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Adopted 1948)	N/A	N/A[3]	N/A
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966	12/11/1968	28/12/1978	28/3/1979 Reservation
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966	12/11/1968	28/12/1978	28/3/1979 Reservation
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966	-	26/5/1989	26/8/1989
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the Death Penalty 1989	22/2/1990	22/2/1990	11/7/1991
PREVENTION OF DISCRIMINATION
International Covention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1966	25/10/1966	22/11/1972	22/12/1972
Optional Declaration on Communications in Article 14	-	-	-
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid 1973	-	-	-
International Convention against Apartheid in Sports 1985	-	-	-
Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (Adopted 1992)	N/A	N/A3	N/A
RIGHTS OF WOMEN
Convention on the Political Rights of Women	1953	-	22/5/1968 Reservation
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1979	17/7/1980	10/1/1985	9/2/1985 Reservation
RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989	1/10/1990	06/4/1993	6/5/1993 Reservation
SLAVERY, SERVITUDE AND FORCED LABOUR
Slavery Convention 1926	18/6/1927	18/6/1927	18/6/1927
Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others 1949	-	-	-
Protocol amending the Slavery Convention 1953	16/12/1953	16/12/1953	16/12/1953
Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices similar to Slavery 1956	-	26/4/1962	26/4/1962
HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 1984	14/1/1986	10/12/1989	9/1/1990 Reservation
Optional Declarations under Articles 21.1 and 22.1		10/12/1989	9/1/1990
MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND YOUTH
Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages 1962	23/12/1963	12/6/1964	9/12/1964
SOCIAL WELFARE, PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families 1990	-	-	-
NATIONALITY, STATELESSNESS, ASYLUM AND REFUGEES
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees 1951	-	30/6/1960	28/9/1960 Reservation
Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons 1954	-	-	-
Convention on the Nationality of Married Women 1957	7/7/1958	17/12/1958	17/3/1959
Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness 1961	-	-	-
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees 1967	-	6/8/1973	6/8/1978
WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 1948	25/11/1949	28/12/1978	29/3/1979
Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity 1968	-	-	-
HUMANITARIAN LAW
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in the Armed Forces in the Field (First Geneva Convention) 1949	11/2/1950	2/5/1959	2/11/1959
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea (Second Geneva Convention) 1949	11/2/1950	2/5/1959	2/11/1959
Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (Third Geneva Convention) 1949	11/2/1950	2/5/1959	2/11/1959
Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva Convention) 1949	11/2/1950	2/5/1959	2/11/1959 Reservation
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), and with Annexes I and II 1977	27/11/1978	8/2/1988	8/8/1988
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II) 1977	27/11/1978	8/2/1988	8/8/1988

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[1] "Ratified" includes acceptance or accession so as to bring the convention into force for New Zealand.

[2] "Reservation" means that New Zealand has lodged a reservation or reservations.

[3] Two declarations have been included. These do not require individual ratification by member states.