New Zealand's Speaker of the House of Representatives today encouraged Pacific Island Parliamentarians to uphold human rights, the rule of law and the institutions of democracy.

Opening a regional consultation for Pacific Members of Parliament on the Pacific Plan and human rights in Auckland, Hon. Margaret Wilson said that the task of Members of Parliament in any country "was not an easy one", but they must recognize their "duty to maintain the rule of law and act in a democratic manner".

Thirty MPs from 11 Pacific Island countries are attending the five-day consultation which started today at Auckland's Copthorne Hotel (Harbour City).

Human rights must be supported on a daily basis, not just written into the law, the Speaker said. While it was "sometimes difficult for people to see the connection between human rights and a prosperous, healthy, vibrant society", she said, human rights were "the thread that unites peoples across their differences".

The Speaker recognized that the issue of human rights and its relation to local culture always provoked much debate in the region, but that it was possible to find ways through these difficult issues because ultimately all people wanted was to "be treated fairly and equitably and according to the rule of law and the rule of lore".

The Speaker noted that while many, if not all, Pacific Island countries had included certain human rights in their national constitutions, few had signed up to international treaties on human rights. In fact, she said, the Pacific had the lowest ratification rate in the world. Nonetheless, the Speaker was encouraged that a number of Pacific Island courts had already begun to take ratification, or the signing up to international conventions, seriously.

"Despite the slow ratification rate by Pacific Island countries of human rights instruments, there is growing Pacific human rights jurisprudence. Lawyers, judges and magistrates are already applying human rights conventions domestically in many cases. This is certainly to be seen as a positive sign for human rights promotion and protection in the Pacific region," she said.

Hesitated

She said some Pacific Island countries may have hesitated in signing up because they knew it could not be taken lightly, but involved a number of practical commitments.

"The challenge for us as Parliamentarians is to call for and support the actual implication of the conventions we've signed up to. The monitoring and reporting obligations are part and parcel of being party to a treaty . . .Reporting to the respective treaty bodies is critical to ensuring that the parties are implementing their obligations and are accountable to their citizens and the treaty bodies too," she said.

The Speaker recognized that this was an important conference for Pacific Island Parliamentarians, where they could discuss critical issues that affect Pacific Islanders and share experiences.

"As Members of Parliament, we are not only representatives of your constituents but are more importantly, leaders of your communities and our words and actions have a strong influence in your respective societies," she said.

"Our decisions and statements help in shaping the thoughts of society and the decisions of leaders in our respective countries, and sometimes even make other countries pause and think. Therefore it is crucial that the human rights, gender and international conventions are promoted and protected by us."

The consultation has been organised by the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team/United Nations Development Programme Pacific Centre (RRRT/UNDP PC) in partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and Commonwealth Secretariat (Human Rights Unit). It will discuss the integration of international human rights standards into national policy, practice and law in line with the regionally-endorsed Pacific Plan, which commits Pacific Island governments to ratify and implement international human rights conventions, where appropriate.

The Hon. Margaret Wilson entered Parliament in 1999. Her ministerial positions have included Attorney-General, Minister of Labour, Minister responsible for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and Minister of Commerce. She was elected Speaker in March 2005. A former professor of Law, Ms Wilson has also served as Law Commissioner and Director of the Reserve Bank.- Media Release The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team