A/HRC/33/10 9. The Constitution of Papua New Guinea underpinned the protection and promotion of human rights as an enduring and sacrosanct principle and the country remained steadfastly committed thereto. The Constitution encompassed all the rights and freedoms articulated in the Charter of the United Nations and, particularly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human rights and freedoms were also subject to the respect for the rights and freedoms of other persons and legitimate public interests. 10. As Papua New Guinea embarked on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and other global agreements for a prosperous, secure, healthy, peaceful and progressive nation consistent with its “Vision 2050” plan and other existing national development plans, strategies and polices, the importance of ensuring the fundamental and inherent rights of citizens continued to remain central. 11. The delegation referred to the key pillars to realizing the enhancement of human rights and freedoms while guaranteeing the Sustainable Development Goals, which included ensuring respect for the rule of law, good governance, human and institutional capacity-building to safeguard and promote human rights, sustained economic growth, promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies and protection of the natural environment and combating climate change. It also included fostering genuine and durable multi-stakeholder development partnership, guided by national ownership and leadership on human rights protection and promotion and the national development agenda. 12. At the global level, the efforts of Papua New Guinea to safeguard and protect human rights were consistent with and guided by its international commitments and obligations under several multilateral frameworks, including core human rights instruments. 13. The delegation referred to the country’s main human rights achievements since its previous universal periodic review in 2011. Papua New Guinea had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 26 September 2013. To guide the implementation of the Convention, the National Disability Policy (2015-2025) had been established. In addition, sign language had been introduced as one of the national languages for all government programmes and an office had been set up to support the implementation of the Convention. A database project was also being developed as part of an international development partnership. 14. On the issue of the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees, in 2013, Papua New Guinea had expressed its intention to withdraw all of its seven reservations thereto. The process was pending completion of domestic formalities. The new National Refugee Policy had been inaugurated in October 2015 and guided the country’s efforts in relation to refugees. The country’s approach included cooperation with Australia in relation to the Manus Processing Centre for asylum seekers, in the light of the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea declaring the transfer and detention of the asylum seekers as unconstitutional. 15. Papua New Guinea was also working towards ratifying the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the ratification of which was expected to take place soon. Similarly, a process to ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, had already started. 16. In 2013, Papua New Guinea had criminalized trafficking in persons in its domestic Criminal Code and established the Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons (2015-2020) and standard operating procedures for the identification, referral and prosecution of human trafficking cases in the country. Both the Action Plan and the standard operating procedures were awaiting Cabinet approval. Papua New Guinea was working closely with national and international partners to implement policies in a strategic and effective way. 4 GE.16-12009