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UN Human Rights Council: the Breakthrough in the Nuclear Crisis
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 http://www.munhwa.com/news/view.html?no=2013021501073937191001 [723] |
UN Human Rights Council: the Breakthrough in the Nuclear Crisis
by Kim Tae Hun
What is a true solution for North Korea after 20 years of negotiations on the issue of the North Korean nuclear program has failed because of the third nuclear test on the 12th? A true solution is to put practical efforts in to resolving the situation by putting the North Korean human rights issue on the agenda, which has been overshadowed by the nuclear issue for years. Nuclear development, which is a core tool used by the regime to maintain the dictatorship system, is connected directly with the deplorable human rights situation in North Korea. We need to be aware that the nature of the nuclear crisis caused by the North’s regime stems from the North Korean authorities’ anti-human rights policies.
History teaches us that if North Korean human rights are recovered, a nuclear warhead, which has been developed with the North Korean people’s sacrifices and human rights abuses, would be just pieces of scrap metal similar to the Soviet’s missiles.
The establishment of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into North Korea human rights abuses will be discussed at the 22nd UN Human Rights Council, which is starting on the February 25th in Geneva, Switzerland. Common opinion on the establishment of COI, which will be an important turning point for improvement of North Korean human rights, has been already created in the international community. This has happened because of the EU and Japan's preparation of a draft of the resolution on North Korean human rights. The South Korean government needs to actively work on human rights diplomacy so that a resolution which contains a clause for the establishment of a COI can be adopted at the Human Rights Council. As the candidate to be the next foreign minister has been announced, there must be no mistake in diplomacy especially during the transition period from the old administration to the new one.
The UN has given various recommendations to the North Korean authorities for improvement of human rights for over a decade. However, there have been no signs of improvement. There has been no hope created even since Kim Jong Eun took office. The UN finally passed a resolution on North Korean human rights by consensus in the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly last year. Furthermore, the establishment of a UN COI to investigate North Korean human rights abuses has been strongly considered because of the efforts of the International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK), which is composed of over 40 international human rights organizations.
Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, emphasized the necessity of a COI through a statement last month. Marzuki Darusman, the Special Rapporteur of North Korean Human Rights, strongly called for “setting up a more detailed mechanism of inquiry” through his report addressed to UN Human Rights Council on February 1st. This “mechanism of inquiry”, composed of various human rights experts, will carry out more comprehensive in-depth investigations into North Korean human rights abuses, which has been done to date by only one Special Rapporteur of North Korean Human Rights.
By investigating deprivation of food, arbitrary detention, abduction, torture, public/summary executions, mistreatment of defectors, political prison camps, and so forth, the UN will discuss how specifically the international community will deal with the perpetrators of crimes against humanity and other kinds of problems.
There is a high possibility that the resolution for the establishment of COI will be passed at this coming UN Human Rights Council session. It can be adopted by a simple majority of the 47 member states of the Human Rights Council agreeing on its establishment. Over the years, the number of countries, which supports resolutions on North Korea in the Human Rights Council, has been increasing. Among the member states in 2013, 28 countries have consistently agreed with a resolution since 2010. If it is effectively promoted, passing the resolution with the absolute majority’s placet can be feasible since the resolution was adopted by consensus in the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly last year. Furthermore, since Cuba, Russia, and China, major supporters of the North Korean authorities, are not in the Human Rights Council in 2013, it is likely that a resolution can be adopted by consensus.
This is the right solution for North Korea’s nuclear crisis, which is now in deadlock. The South Korean government, which should take responsibility for North Korean human rights abuses, must not miss this golden opportunity to finally solve the problem. Its historical obligation means it must take the lead in voicing the international community's opinion on a UN COI, and ensure its establishment.
Source: Munhwa Ilbo
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