First UNCHR Resolution on Human Rights in Korea

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights drafted its first ever resolution on human rights in North Korea, April 17. The adoption, made at the UNCHR session in Geneva, marks a significant step for the international community in addressing the severe human rights violations in the East Asian country.

The resolution essentially calls on North Korea to abide by the thematic procedures of the Commission, including those on food, torture, religious freedom, arbitrary detention and disappearances. It also requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to engage in a comprehensive dialogue with the authorities and to submit his findings and recommendations to the next session of the Commission. The text also addresses mistreatment of women and discrimination against disabled children. It focuses upon the critical issue of humanitarian aid, highlighting the need for aid to be distributed according to humanitarian principles and the need for international access for monitoring.

Nonetheless, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the international persecution watchdog, said it remains concerned that the text