Report Says South Korea Should Play an Important Role in Regional Human Rights

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently submitted a report to OHCHR Headquarters in Geneva. The report said the OHCHR hopes South Korea will play an important role in setting up a system for protecting human rights in Asia.

Homayoun Alizadeh, the regional representative for Southeast Asia for the OHCHR, wrote the report after taking part in “The 2nd Asia Human Rights Forum” and “The 3rd Workshop for Young Human Rights Activists” held in Seoul last February. These events were jointly sponsored by the Hwajeong Peace Foundation and the 21st Peace Research Institute together with Dong-A Ilbo and Korea University’s Graduate School of International Studies.

Alizadeh suggested in the report that South Korea start a dialogue for regional improvement in human rights and start to cooperate with other nations in the region as a member country of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+3 (South Korea, China, Japan).

He also stressed, “Given South Korea’s economic and political status in the region, the country should bring up human rights issues such as protection of migrant workers in cabinet meetings and high-ranking officials’ meetings.”

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