Commission's Major Activities
National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2016
Notably, the Commission was selected as the chair of the new GANHRI Working Group on
Ageing, exerting leadership in the international community. It committed itself to contributing to
the promotion of human rights of older persons.
The Commission hosted a special session on the human rights of older persons as part of the
meeting of the GANHRI Working Group on Ageing. The special session finalized the detailed
rules of the working group, elected the vice chairman, and discussed a statement to be submitted
to the working group.
Meanwhile, the Commission successfully supported an amendment to the NHRC Act
to reflect the procedures for selecting and appointing commissioners recommended by the
GANHRI Sub-Committee on Accreditation. This achievement resulted in the Commission
being accredited with “A” status by GANHRI in the first half of 2016.
2) Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF)
A regional network of NHRIs for the Asia Pacific region, the APF aims to strengthen
exchanges and cooperation among NHRIs, support the establishment and operation of NHRIs,
and strengthen cooperation with international human rights organizations and governments.
The Commission took part in the 21st APF Annual Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand in
October 2016. APF member discussed and made decisions regarding the associate membership
of the NHRIs of Bahrain and Iraq, an APF report on the death penalty, and the servicing of
APF website in Arabic. Chairperson Lee Sung-ho gave an introduction of the structure and
function of the Commission along with its recent activities, including the recommendation of the
National Action Plan on human rights, programmes to promote the rights of older persons, and
the infringement on the freedom of assembly.
The Commission also attended a meeting of the Torture Prevention Ambassadors in Geneva,
Switzerland in June 2016 to give a presentation on the Commission's torture prevention project.
It also attended and made presentations at those sessions related with the Human Rights Council.
92