NHRCK Hosts Side Event of 14th Session of UN OEWGA
Draft convention on the rights of older persons crafted by NHRCK presented to the UN OEWGA Session
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea(NHRCK), which currently serves as Chair of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) Working Group on Ageing, participated in and hosted a side event for the 14th session of the UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) on May 20-24 2024 .
The OEWGA, one of the working groups of the UN General Assembly, convenes for the 14th session this year. It has identified and discussed gaps in international human rights mechanisms for the protection of the rights of older persons.
Side events are organized to facilitate knowledge sharing, capacity building and networking of institutions with observer status, including civil society organizations and national human rights institutions (NHRIs), through presentations of their activities and discussions on key agenda items.
The NHRCK hosted the side event in collaboration with OHCHR, UNDP, Permanent Mission of Georgia to the United Nations. This was the first side event for the OEWGA session ever hosted by a NHRI.
The side event was held on the subtheme of Bridging the Gap: National Human Rights Institutions Protecting and Promoting and Upholding Older Persons’ Rights and broadcast live on UN TV.
The event opened with words of welcome by Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, Chair of the Qatar Human Rights Committee, and was attended by Ilze Brands Kehris, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. NHRIs from Australia, Georgia, Ethiopia and the Americas presented their activities and best practices on protecting the rights of older persons.
Participants reported diverse activities related to the rights of older persons, such as handling of complaints and monitoring of care facilities. The lack of international human rights standards that take into account the unique needs and circumstances of older persons was identified as one of the biggest challenges in the protection of the rights of older persons.
Chairperson Song presented the GANHRI guidance on the rights of older persons, which was discussed at the GANHRI Bureau meeting in early May, and the draft convention on the rights of older persons crafted by the NHRCK.
The GANHRI guidance on the rights of older persons, whose preparation and adoption was led by the NHRCK, sets out the roles that should be played by NHRIs for the protection and promotion of the rights of older persons.
The draft convention, which was prepared by the NHRCK through a local task force and workshops for NHRIs in the Asia-Pacific region, generated a lot of attention among participants and is expected to provide a reference for formulating legally biding documents at the United Nations level.
The NHRCK, as Chair of the GANHRI Working Group on Ageing, seeks to expand its cooperation with NHRIs and international organizations, and lead discussions on matters relating to the rights of older persons.
