2008.11.10-12
The upcoming International Conference on the Rights of Migrants in a Multicultural Society is a special event organized by National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) to commemorate the 60th anniversaries of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the founding of the Republic of Korea. The Conference is held in participation with the OHCHR, the ICC (International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions) and the APF (Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions).
A multicultural society is not a new phenomenon for many countries. The UN has developed several useful human rights instruments and procedures to address human rights issues relating to multicultural society such as racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance, minorities, indigenous people, migrant workers, and trafficking. In Korea, the number of migrants has been gradually increasing for the last two decades, currently amounting to more than one million. This number includes undocumented migrant workers. The rapidly increasing number of women who migrated to Korea for marriage poses new challenges to both the government and civil society in terms of promoting a culture of understanding and tolerance in a multicultural context.
The Conference is expected to address key emerging human rights challenges in the context of a multicultural society in Korea as well as in Asia and on other continents. During the Conference, the Seoul Guidelines on Cooperation among NHRIs for the Promotion and Protection of Migrants’ Rights will be adopted.
