5th APF Annual Meeting, 2000

Delegates to the 5th Annual Meeting of the APF were welcomed with a traditional welcome (powhiri) by Te Arawa Federation of Tribes and the Mayor of Rotorua at the Rotowhio marae at Whakarewarewa.

The Attorney General and Associate Minister of Justice of New Zealand, the Hon Margaret Wilson opened the meeting on behalf of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt Hon Helen Clark.

The special theme for the meeting, which was hosted by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, was "National Human Rights Institutions and the Protection and Promotion of Economic and Social Rights – International, Regional and National Strategies".

The meeting also considered the role of national human rights institutions in the promotion of democracy; their role at the World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (held in South Africa in 2001); and reports from recent workshops on the use of child soldiers and the situation of internally displaced persons in the Asia Pacific region.

A feature of the meeting was the contribution of non-governmental organisations, which co-ordinated their comments and presented joint statements to each plenary session.

Outcomes of the 5th Annual Meeting included:

Membership

• The National Human Rights Commission of Nepal was admitted as a full member.

Advisory Council of Jurists

• The ACJ held its inaugural session alongside the APF Annual Meeting and presented interim reports on the two references it had received (death penalty and child pornography on the internet) in a joint session with APF members.

Management

• Support of members for the legal incorporation of the APF, including the establishment of an interim Board of Management and an implementation Working Group.

6th Annual Meeting

• The APF accepted the offer of the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to host the 6th Annual Meeting in 2001.