The Opening of U.N. Human Rights Commission

Attention is focused on the 60th meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission starting Monday at the U.N. Headquarters in Geneva. The E.U. and Japan are expected to place a resolution towards North Korea on the agenda criticizing North Korea’s human rights abuse again.

The initial resolution led by the E.U. was adopted last year in the 59th meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

While some countries including Ireland, which holds the current presidency of the EU, U.K., and France have been discussing a draft of this resolution, a vote on this is expected to occur on April 15. Deteriorating human rights violation in North Korea has made the international community propose a resolution towards Pyongyang again.

Despite being a member of the U.N. Human Rights Commission for three consecutive years, South Korea is expected to abstain from this year’s voting. It did not even participate in last year’s meeting.

The 60th meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission will commence Monday and last through April 23. It has become known that the U.S. will submit a resolution to censure China for its reluctance in resolving its domestic human rights violations.

In 1946, the U.N. Human Rights Commission was founded in order to supervise human rights situations around the world, and it now consists of 53 member states including South Korea.