NHRCK Compiles Recommendations of UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies to ROK Government of Past 40 Years
-NHRCK classifies documents by session and procedure and uploads them to its website-
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea(Chairperson Young-ae Choi) has obtained and classified about 280 documents published by the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies in relation to the State Party report of the Republic of Korea and uploaded them on the Commission's website, with a view to increase public understanding of international human rights norms.
* The UN human rights treaties to which the Republic of Korea is a party are the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The government has acceded to and ratified seven of nine key international human rights instruments and is required to present periodic reports on the practical legislative, administrative and judicial measures taken by the State to comply with the obligations set forth in the treaty to the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies that monitor the implementation of each treaty. The treaty bodies issue concluding observations based on a comprehensive review of the State party report as well as reports by the national human rights institution and other interested parties.
The treaty bodies have presented their recommendations to the ROK government since 1981, but the relevant documents have not been collected and managed systematically at a single location. Accordingly, the Commission tried to obtain concluding observations that have been issued so far by the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies concerning the State report of the ROK and classified them by review procedure and session. The classified documents have been uploaded to the Commission's website. The legislative, executive and judiciary branched should now be able to refer to the recommendations posted on the Commission's website for the introduction of policies, enactment and revision of laws and provision of a decision on a legal case. Human rights activists and the public should also benefit from the UN Treaty Bodies' recommendations to the ROK government gathered together at a single location.
Chairperson Young-ae Choi of the Commission stressed that understanding the recommendations issued by the UN human rights treaty bodies is the crucial step towards effective implementation of international human rights norms. Chairperson Choi further said that the establishment of a new database is a meaningful achievement that reminds us of the critical role of the Commission on the 20th anniversary of its foundation.
The Commission will continue to monitor the entire review process of each Treaty body for State reports and regularly update the system to promote public understanding of international human rights norms.
