North Korea’s delegation to the UN is said to have
circulated on Wednesday a self-issued draft resolution on the human rights
conditions in its country.
Sources from the UN said the North invited some 60 diplomats
to a closed-door session in the afternoon at the UN headquarters and circulated
the draft resolution.
Earlier on the 8th, Pyongyang’s representatives held a
briefing on the issue of human rights during which it expressed opposition to
the UN adopting a resolution condemning the country on how it treats it people.
The following day, it sent a letter to each delegation informing them Pyongyang
would submit its own resolution.
In its draft resolution, North Korea argued it has worked
with the international community to improve the rights of its people, according
to the sources. During the briefing, Pyongyang is said to have emphasized that
it ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in August, which aims
to root out child trafficking and prostitution.
It also reportedly stressed there are no problems with its
human rights conditions in the country and stated, “Human rights should not be
politicized and no double standards should be allowed.”
In this preliminary version, the North is said to have noted
that all countries must be equally evaluated on the issue and “selective
review” of targeted countries should not be allowed.
North Korea is believed to have circulated this draft in
order to collect opinions from other member states before finalizing its resolution.
Some countries reportedly voiced their thoughts on the draft, but not much
detail is known.
This proactive movement from Pyongyang comes as the EU
pushes for a resolution that aims to prosecute North Korea’s leadership for the
inhumane treatment of its people.
Meanwhile, China said during the briefing that it “strongly
opposes any resolution that interferes in other countries’ internal affairs and
hurts mutual trust,” according to The Associated Press.
