The New Zealand Government is committed to representing New Zealand women in international forums and meeting its obligations in relation to the status of women.
New Zealand is party to a number of international agreements that protect and promote the rights of women and girls and set goals for the global advancement of gender equality. In addition, New Zealand endorses several international declarations and goals that protect and promote human rights, particularly for wāhine Māori.
Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women is the lead agency to manage the government’s international obligations in relation to the status of women and girls. This includes:
- leading New Zealand's representation at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
- engaging in regional and international fora to advocate for the interests of all New Zealand women and girls, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- managing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) reporting
- coordinating New Zealand’s report on the progress of implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
- reporting on Sustainable Development Goal 5.
In this role, Manatū Wāhine promotes and protects the interests and wellbeing of women and girls in international forums and supports the development of domestic policy that is consistent with New Zealand's international responsibilities.
We work with other agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Ministry of Justice on international issues and reporting obligations that are relevant to the wellbeing and interests of women and girls.
We also convene the International Women’s Caucus, a forum for government agencies and non-government organisations (NGOs) to work collaboratively on international issues relevant to the interests and wellbeing of women and girls.