4th Three-year Plan for the Promotion of Human Rights
Secure rights of the weak and address human rights of the underrepresented
o The National Human Rights Commission of Korea(Chairperson Hyun Byung-chul) passed the 4th Three-Year Plan for the Promotion of Human Rights(the "Plan") that includes main tasks for 2015 to 2017 for promotion of human rights at the Plenary Committee on 25 August 2014.
o The Plan will be implemented for three years starting from next year, and it has the following purposes: strengthen social rights with deepening social/economic polarization; strengthen remedy/investigation and human rights education for the underrepresented; lay institutional foundation for human rights policy; spread human rights value by strengthening accessability to human rights; and actively respond to international human rights standards and new agenda.
o The rationale for choosing the five basic aims are as follows.
△ Strengthening social rights with growing social/economic polarization present in Korean society
The NHRCK concluded that social integration by guaranteeing basic social rights of the poor and the weak as the income disparity is growing has become a major social issue. In addition, the NHRCK decided that there has to be measures to guarantee social demands from the underrepresented and minorities of our society which are expressed through demonstrations these days.
△Strengthening investigation/remedy and human rights education for the underrepresented
The NHRCK concluded that there is a need to strengthen ex-officio and field investigations for the underrepresented such as people who are in the military where violent and cruel treatment frequently take place, people with mental disabilities, children, migrants, and people staying in correction facilities and that human rights education has to be strengthened by mandating human rights education.
△Laying institutional foundation for human rights policy
The NHRCK concluded that the Commission should play an active role in discussion for enactment/amendment of human rights friendly legislations such as the "Human Rights Education Support Act", "Anti-Discrimination Act", "Act on Human Rights in Military" and "North Korean Human Rights Act", and that the Commission has to comprehensively and actively respond by making amendment to the National Human Rights Commission Act in order to secure diversity and independence of the Commission.
△Spreading human rights value through enhancing accessibility to human rights
The NHRCK concluded that there is a need to enhance local residents' accessibility to human rights because people are becoming more interested in human rights . Since the recommendation of the NHRCK to enact or amend human rights ordinance, various local governments enacted human rights ordinance, and people are paying more attention to human rights issues including human rights counselling, human rights education, monitoring human rights infringements.
△Active response to the international human rights standards and new agenda
The NHRCK concluded that the NHRCK should be able to actively respond to the newly arising human rights agenda such as business and human rights, information human rights, North Korean human rights, rights to safety and environment, because the international community demands the NHRCK to play active roles since the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council in 2006.
o The NHRCK drafted strategic mid-term business plan every three year starting from the year 2006 and established the 4th Plan which includes 4 strategic goals, directions, 20 targets, 1 special task and features project, in order to actively respond to changes in domestic/international circumstances surrounding human rights and to independently carry out its duties as national institutions.
