The Big Nine publication – an important reference for judges, magistrates, legal practitioners and law students across the Pacific, is now online after its launch last night at a Pacific parliamentarians dinner in Nadi, Fiji.
'It is a privilege to launch this inspiring publication. It outlines the nine conventions we have been talking about during this consultation and will be a great tool for us to use in our work,' Māori academic and politician, Dr Pita Sharples, said at the launch.
The publication is a one-stop-shop for international human conventions and other related documents. It will also be useful for human rights advocates, civil society representatives and policy makers who seek to draw on international human rights law as a tool for initiating change in governance, policy and legislation, as well as in traditional and cultural practices in their own countries.
The Big Nine is the third volume of this series after The Big Eight and The Big Seven, which were also published by RRRT. Since the publication of The Big Eight, the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance has come into force and has been added to the eight conventions published in The Big Eight.
Twenty-three members of parliament are in Nadi this week attending a regional human rights consultation organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT). They are sharing their experiences and exchanging information on current and emerging human rights issues in the region.
SPC, through the Regional Rights Resource Team, works to build a culture of human rights and assists nation states to commit to, and observe, international human rights standards. SPC RRRT is funded by the Australian Government.
Media contact
Visit our website to download the e-copy of The Big Nine or contact Jilda Shem, SPC RRRT Communications Officer on +679 330 5994 or email [email protected] .
Photo caption: University of the South Pacific (USP) students (Laucala campus, Fiji) browsing through the newly launched publication.