DPRK Permanent Representative to UN Office at Geneva Delivers Statement at 46th Meeting of UNHRC

http://www.mfa.gov.kp/en/dprk-permanent-representative-to-un-office-at-geneva-delivers-statement-at-46th-meeting-of-unhrc/

Han Tae Song, Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland delivered a statement at the ongoing 46th meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 9.

At the General Debate on Item 3 “Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development”, the Permanent Representative said that the DPRK is a people-centered socialist state where people are placed at the center of everything and everything serves for the people, and the politics of Comrade Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, for prioritizing, respecting and loving the people are building up a grand flower garden which provides genuine enjoyment of human rights.

He continued: In our country, the slogan of “Everything for the people and everything by relying on them!” is the cornerstone of all government policies, and the people-first principle is fully embodied in all spheres of national activities and social life. The overall human rights of our people including the rights to existence and development are firmly guaranteed by the Socialist Constitution and other sectoral laws in the areas of election, labor, education and public health and fully exercised and enjoyed in practice, and the socialist policies like the universal 12-year compulsory education system and free medical care system are implemented as ever.

The DPRK government, whose prime principle and absolute standard in policy-making are to ensure the people’s rights and interests, is making every effort to fulfill its mission and responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights by encouraging legal benefits and economic investments aimed at the enjoyment of human rights by all people including women, children, disabled persons and the elderly. In spite of the maneuvers by the hostile forces to stifle and isolate the DPRK, which constitute the most brutal and inhumane of its kind in history, the lives and safety of the people of the DPRK are firmly guarded against the natural disasters and the global COVID-19 pandemic, and thousands of dwelling houses, daily necessities, medicines and food are provided free of charge to the people of the disaster-affected areas. These realities speak for itself as to how the human rights are fully promoted and protected in the DPRK.

He concluded his statement by stressing that in whatever cases, human rights issues should not be politicized or be used as a tool for international politics, and any attempt to overthrow the social system chosen by the people of a country for the reason that the people have different ideology and belief is, in itself, an act of violating the human rights and insulting the dignity of the people.