Moderated by HRNK Co-Chair Emeritus Roberta Cohen

Presenters:

Dr. Rana Siu Inboden
Adjunct Assistant Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Distinguished Scholar, Strauss Center for International Security and Law

North Korea and Authoritarian Collaboration in the United Nations: The Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review Process

The report Dr. Inboden will feature examines ways that North Korea benefits from protection in the UN human rights system. In particular, it examines patterns where other authoritarian countries shield North Korea from human rights criticism during the UN’s Universal Periodic Review process by offering praise for the North Korean government, even in the face of severe human rights violations. It shows that jointly North Korea and other countries, such as China, blunt the effectiveness of external human rights scrutiny and monitoring. The North Korean regime and its allies frequently band together in multilateral bodies to shield each other from international human rights pressure. This is particularly evident during the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). During all three of North Korea’s UPR sessions before the Human Rights Council (HRC), a number of its backers not only defended it but even applauded North Korea’s record.  The most active countries shielding North Korea were China, Cuba, and Venezuela, but they were also joined by Syria, Belarus, Russia, Vietnam, Iran, and Burundi.

Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director, HRNK

North Korea and Authoritarian Collaboration in the United Nations: The ECOSOC NGO Committee

The report Executive Director Scarlatoiu will feature examines the role of the ECOSOC NGO Committee as “gatekeeper” of international civil society access, based on HRNK’s direct experience with the process. On April 17, 2018, the 54 member UN Economic and Social Council took action on a resolution to grant UN consultative status to the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK). The resolution passed with 29 votes in favor, 6 against, and 13 abstentions. Six ECOSOC member states were absent. Belarus, China, Russian Federation, South Africa, Venezuela and Vietnam voted against. This victory for the North Korean human rights cause was the result of a long and grueling struggle to overcome opposition by UN ECOSOC NGO Committee protectors of North Korea. Previously, ECOSOC NGO Committee members Burundi, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, and Venezuela had voted against granting HRNK consultative status.