UN human rights chief cautions sanctions could hurt struggling North Koreans
UNITED NATIONS, (MILLAT ONLINE):The United Nations human rights chief has called on the Security Council to assess the impact of tough economic sanctions on North Korea as they may be harming the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid.
“The humanitarian assistance provided by U.N. agencies and others are literally a lifeline for some 13 million acutely vulnerable individuals,” High Commissioner for Human rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein told council members via a video link from Paris on Monday.
“Sanctions may be adversely affecting this essential help,” he added.
The high commissioner cited as one example international banking restrictions, which have slowed the U.N.’s ability to deliver food rations, health kits and other humanitarian aid to citizens.
He asked the 15-member council to conduct an assessment of the human rights impact of sanctions and urged them to take action to minimize consequences.
In October, UN Special Rapporteur Tomas Quintana warned that sanctions on North Korea over its missile and nuclear tests could affect the country’s ordinary citizens.
North Korea has been slapped with several rounds of UNSC sanctions since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. The US and the European Union have also imposed wide-ranging bans to isolate North Korea.
The UN imposed its toughest-ever sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang test-fired new ballistic missiles in July and then conducted its most powerful nuclear test in September.
The Security Council has imposed export bans on coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, restricted joint ventures and blacklisted a number of North Korean companies.
However, the punitive measures have so far failed to stop the North’s nuclear weapons programme. Pyongyang says it needs to continue and develop its military program as a deterrent in the face of hostile policies by the United States and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.
About the human rights situation, the high commissioner said people’s rights are reportedly violated in “almost every aspect” of their lives.
“I regret that it is impossible for me to point to any significant improvement in the human rights situation” Indeed, security tensions seem to have deepened the extremely serious human rights violations endured by the DPRK’s 25 million people,” Zeid said.
He said that while his Office (OHCHR) struggles to paint the complete picture of the situation due to the lack of access to the DPRK, “escapees have reported to us extremely widespread violations of rights in almost every aspect of people’s lives.”