A/HRC/RES/34/24
Recalling the responsibility of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to protect
its population from crimes against humanity, and noting General Assembly resolution
71/202, in which the Assembly recalled that the commission of inquiry had urged the
leadership of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to prevent and suppress crimes
against humanity and to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted and brought to justice,
Concerned that the precarious humanitarian situation in the country is exacerbated
by the failure of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to provide
humanitarian agencies with free and unimpeded access to all populations in need and by its
national policy priorities that, among others, prioritize military spending over citizens’
access to food,
Acknowledging General Assembly resolution 71/202, in which the Assembly
expressed grave concern about the impact of diverting resources to advance nuclear
weapons and ballistic missiles programmes on the humanitarian and human rights situation
in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and emphasizing the necessity that the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea respect and ensure the welfare and inherent dignity
of people in the country, as referred to by the Security Council in its resolution 2321 (2016)
of 30 November 2016,
Reaffirming that it is the responsibility of the Government of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and
fundamental freedoms of its entire population, including by ensuring equal access to
adequate food, as well as, among others, freedom of religion or belief, freedom of
expression and freedom of association and assembly,
Recognizing that particular risk factors affect women, children, persons with
disabilities and the elderly, and the need to ensure the full enjoyment of all their human
rights and fundamental freedoms by them against neglect, abuse, exploitation and violence,
Noting with appreciation the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in December 2016, and
urging it to implement its treaty obligations,
Acknowledging the participation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in
the second universal periodic review process, noting the acceptance by the Government of
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of 113 out of the 268 recommendations
contained in the outcome of the review and its stated commitment to implement them and
to look into the possibility of implementing a further 58 recommendations, and
emphasizing the importance of the implementation of the recommendations in order to
address the grave human rights violations in the country,
Recognizing the important work of the treaty bodies in monitoring the
implementation of international human rights obligations, and emphasizing the need for the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with its human rights obligations and to
ensure regular and timely reporting to the treaty bodies,
Noting the importance of the issue of international abductions and of the immediate
return of all abductees, expressing grave concern at the lack of positive action by the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea since the investigations on all Japanese nationals
commenced on the basis of the government-level consultations held between the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Japan in May 2014, and expecting the
resolution of all issues related to the Japanese nationals, in particular the return of all
abductees, to be achieved at the earliest possible date,
Noting also the importance of dialogue for the improvement of the human rights and
humanitarian situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
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