27 Sep 2011

Nauru signs up to UN Refugee Convention

2:36 pm on 27 September 2011

Nauru has this week completed the process of signing up to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.

It initially committed to the change three months ago after a visit to the island by the Australia opposition leader, Tony Abbott.

He was advocating the re-opening of the camp on the island to process Australian asylum seekers, a move to which the Australian government was opposed.

It had cited non-membership of the refugee convention as a factor.

In a statement, the Nauru government says the ratification is in line with its plans to sign up to various UN conventions on human rights issues.

It's also committed this year to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women or CEDAW.