Human Rights Council: 49th Session of the Universal Periodic Review – Kiribati

Mr President,

We warmly welcome the delegation from Kiribati.

We welcome Kiribati's progress in increasing women's representation in national political leadership through the record number of women elected to Parliament, which reached an historic high of five women members in the 2024 elections. This progress reflects a growing recognition of the importance of women's voices in national decision making.

New Zealand recommends that Kiribati:

1. Continue to strengthen women's representation in Parliament through implementing measures to address any barriers that hinder women's participation in politics.
2. Strengthen measures to reduce violence against women and children, including greater access to legal protection and support services for survivors and improved preventative and response training for police and judiciary officials.
3. Strengthen protection of freedom of expression in Kiribati, including for media, as an important vehicle for transparency and public access to information.

We thank the delegation for their participation today and wish them a successful review.

Thank you Mr President.

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