Taking action: What you can do if you’re discriminated against
Complaining to the United Nations
There are also a number of international agreements on human rights and discrimination, including:
- the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
- the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and
- the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In some cases you may be able to complain to a UN committee under one of those agreements. The committee will be able to deliver an opinion that, although not binding on the New Zealand government, is nevertheless authoritative and persuasive.
For an example of a complaint to a UN committee about disability discrimination, see the chapter “Disability rights”, under “Rights that are recognised internationally: The UN Disability Convention”.
For more information about international human rights agreements generally, go to www.hrc.co.nz/your-rights/what-are-human-rights/.
