Human rights commission to face ICC demotion
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Hyun Byung-chul
NHRC chairman |
By Chung Min-uck
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRC) faces being stripped of the highest “A” rating as the International Coordination Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC) decided to rerate the NHRC.
The ICC last week informed the Korean human rights commission that it will withhold the status, citing the lack of transparency concerning the selection of members in the NHRC’s regulation and lack of participation of civic groups, an NHRC official said Sunday.
It will be the first time that the 2001-founded NHRC, headed by Hyun Byung-chul, will undergo a reevaluation of its status since it joined the global human rights body in 2004.
If it is downgraded, the commission will be deprived of its current rights at the ICC meetings including rights to vote and voice opinions.
According to the NHRC, the ICC has requested a response by June and said it will start the reevaluation process in October.
Meanwhile, the human rights commission downplayed the ICC’s notification, saying such a decision made by a related subcommittee of the international human rights body has nothing to do with a country’s actual human rights conditions.
“The ICC subcommittee’s decision only looks at whether qualification of a state-run human rights body is guaranteed under law and regulations,” said the NHRC in a press release. “It doesn’t evaluate a country’s human rights condition or related activities.”
“We are making efforts to fulfill ICC’s recommendation via consultation with relevant government branches such as the legislative body,” the NHRC added.
According to the commission, national human rights bodies from nine countries including Korea and Germany were informed of their new ratings.
The ICC is a global network of national human rights institutions set up to promote and monitor human rights conditions of member countries.
The ICC examines the status of member countries every four years and out of over 100 countries less than 70 are accredited with an “A” status.
Countries holding the highest status are entitled to vote and hold office in the ICC, whereas, those with lower status can only participate as observers during meetings.
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