Samoa’s delegation to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting on the report on human rights in Samoa, Geneva, 9-11 May 2011.  From Left to Right: Papalii Malietau Malietoa, Parliamentary Counsel, Attorney General’s Office, Seema Naidu, RRRT/SPC, Filipo Masaurua, PIFS Human Rights Advisor, Faalavaau Perina Sila, Deputy CEO Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hon. Fonotoe Nuafesili P. Lauofo, Deputy Prime Minister, Leituala Kuiniselani Tago, CEO Ministry Women, Community & Social Development and Noelani Manoa, First Secretary, Samoa Mission to the UN.

The Universal Periodical Review (UPR) is a process established by the United Nations Human Rights Council to assess and improve the situation of human rights in all of the 192 Member States of the United Nations. It is an intergovernmental process, of peers reviewing peers and on Monday, 9 May 2011, it was Samoa’s turn to appear before the UN UPR Working Group in Geneva, Switzerland, and to be reviewed by its peers. The review was based on the Government national report that was submitted at end of January 2011, the stakeholders report and the UN compilation report that were submitted late last year.

The UPR process was an opportunity for Samoa to tell its story on the situation of human rights in Samoa, the challenges the Government faces in promoting and protecting human rights and the assistance needed to address these challenges to ensure the full enjoyment of fundamental human rights of every Samoan. The review process is held every four years. Like all other members of the United Nations, Samoa’s next review is in 2015 at which time it will report on progress made from the 2011 review and steps taken to further uphold and promote human rights in Samoa.

Samoa’s delegation to the review was led by the Deputy Prime Minister Hon Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo, and consisted of senior representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Office of the Attorney General, the Permanent Mission in New York and representatives from Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. 

During this UPR session, three other Pacific Island countries were also reviewed namely Palau, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. The Deputy Prime Minister also spoke during the review of Papua New Guinea’s national report encouraging national efforts to the further promotion and protection of human rights in PNG.

While in Geneva, the Deputy Prime Minister also signed on behalf of Government the three bilateral WTO agreements with three different countries namely Ukraine, Canada and the market access in goods agreement with the United States of America.

(press release)

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