Introduction
discrimination in September. As a leading NHRI, the Commission raised the need to enact an
equality law as a mechanism for combating hate and discrimination, raised awareness both
in Korea and abroad on human rights issues associated with hate and discrimination, and
strengthened cooperation with other NHRIs. Also in October, it organized a meeting with
discussions on equality law. The participants shared their country’s experience in introducing the
Part 1
the ambassadors of EU member states to Korea and representatives of UN organizations for
law and resulting social impacts.
Review (UPR), which involves a review of the human rights records of all member states. As part
of continued efforts to strengthen domestic implementation of international human rights standards,
it monitored progress by the relevant government organizations and held a meeting to discuss
progress made in relation to the concluding observations of the UN Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights on the fourth periodic report of the Republic of Korea. In December,
it organized a conference with five organizations and groups, including the National Assembly
Women & Children Human Rights Forum, to strengthen implementation of international human
rights standards in Korea, with a focus on the legislative branch. The conference provided a venue
to discuss what role the National Assembly can play and how international human rights standards
can be used up front in legislation efforts.
The Commission translated and distributed key human rights literature, including the United
Nations’ report on the right to adequate housing and the recommendations by the Council
of Europe on combating hate speech. It also translated and distributed the Human Rights
Handbook for Parliamentarians jointly published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), helping
lawmakers’ legislation activities with respect to human rights. Notably, the translation and
editing of the general comments (a total of 171) of major human rights treaty bodies helped
enrich available quality content, and their dissemination helped raise public awareness on
international human rights standards.
17
Introduction
In November, the Commission organized an in-progress review for the Universal Periodic