A Year of Human Rights Covenants: Great Leap for Taiwan
National Human Rights Commission, Taiwan
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Difficulty in the comprehensive analysis
on the impacts of COVID-19 and the
post-COVID-19 recovery plans due to
insufficient gender statistics of women from
disadvantaged groups.
The IRC for the Fourth National Report on
CEDAW was formed by five members, including
Chair Heisoo Shin, Niklas Bruun, Ayşe Feride
Acar, Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, and Esther
Eghobamien-Mshelia. During the universal
review period, they were concerned about
issues including the NHRC’s independence and
separation from the Control Yuan, the status of
grievances affairs, and how the NHRC engaged
with the Constitutional Court, the follow-up
actions for the NHRC’s promotion of participation
in the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human
Rights Institutions (APF), and the incorporation
of the pension plan in the distribution of marital
property after divorce. They also requested us to
answer their concerns on-site or in writing by a
time-limit.
The IRC announced 86 concluding observations
at the press conference on December 2, 2022.
We also invited IRC members to the NHRC for an
in-depth opinion exchange that afternoon. Apart
from recognizing the quality of our Independent
Opinions on the CEDAW, IRC Chair Heisoo
Shin, based on the experience of the National
Human Rights Commission of Korea, reminded
that NHRIs must defend their independence
and show their willingness to accept challenges
from without. In the meeting, the IRC members
and the NHRC further exchanged opinions on
issues including the NHRC’s engagement with
the Constitutional Court, the NHRC’s relation
to the legislature, investigation and grievance
mechanisms, gender equality and sexual
harassment prevention in business, and the
Council of Europe Convention on Preventing
and Combating Violence Against Women and
Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention).
▋ IRC members of the 2022 International Review of the National Report on CEDAW at the NHRC.
National Human Rights Commission 2022 Annual Report
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