- Posted July 04, 2024
- Media Releases
The NZSIS and GCSB welcome the baseline review by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) into how the agencies carry out Human Rights Risk Assessments (HRRA) to assess the risk of potential cooperation with overseas partners.
As the IGIS notes, intelligence sharing and cooperation is valuable to both the agencies, and is a key part of their work. It is vital that the agencies have effective legal frameworks and policies in place to ensure they act lawfully under both domestic and international law when cooperating with overseas partners.
The IGIS finds that the relevant Ministerial Policy Statement and Joint Policy Statement on human rights provide a generally robust framework for the sharing of intelligence and cooperation with overseas parties. The IGIS also notes that while this can be a complex area of work, the policy and process requirements are logical and provide reasonable safeguards.
The IGIS also examined the application of HRRA’s by both the NZSIS and GCSB, and makes a number of recommendations to improve current processes. These recommendations are all accepted by the agencies, and many have already been implemented.
The NZSIS and GCSB are absolutely committed to having the best practices in place to ensure they meet all relevant legal and human rights obligations while delivering on their missions, and we welcome the independent oversight of the IGIS on this important area.