A North Korean school dropout will testify on human rights in North Korea at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy on 17 May, VOA reports:
A North Korean defector who attended only one year of elementary school in North Korea will testify about human rights in the country at an international conference in Switzerland. Now, the defector is speaking out for North Korea’s vulnerable population in fluent English on the international stage, reporter Kim Young-kwon reports. HT: UNWatch
As North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities, a forthcoming conference will explore how human rights issues may be elevated in future bilateral and multilateral interactions with Pyongyang.
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), the Hoover Institution, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) host a full-day conference entitled “North Korean Human Rights: Is There Still a Way Forward?”
Session 1: Address some of the most pressing human rights issues in North Korea, as well as China’s role in aiding and abetting a regime that is committing crimes against humanity.
Session 2: Assess the effectiveness of empowering the North Korean people through information from the outside world.
Session 3: Scrutinize the 2004 U.S. North Korean Human Rights Act, which was reauthorized in 2008, 2012, and 2017.
Closing Session: Explore the value of a “Human Rights up Front Approach” to North Korea policy.
PROGRAM AGENDA
8:45am | Welcome and Opening Remarks
Damon Wilson, President and CEO, National Endowment for Democracy
Dr. Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy, Freeman Spogli Institute for Int’l Studies, Stanford University
Greg Scarlatoiu, Executive Director, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
9:15am | Refugees, Prison Camps and the Chinese Dimension
The Honorable Roberta Cohen, Co-Chair Emeritus, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Dr. Tara O, Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute
Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, Researcher, Transitional Justice Working Group
Olivia Enos, moderator, Washington Director, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong
10:30am Break
11:00am | Empowerment through Information
Colonel David Maxwell, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Board Member, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Dr. Jieun Baek, Research Project Manager on Technology and Human Rights in North Korea, Carr Center at Harvard University
Lynn Lee, Deputy Director for Asia, National Endowment for Democracy
Hyun-Seung Lee, Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Christopher Walker , Vice President for Studies and Analysis, National Endowment for Democracy
12:30-1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm | The North Korean Human Rights Act: Implementation, Problems and Prospects
The Honorable Robert King, Former U.S. Special Envoy for N. Korean Human Rights Issues; Board Member, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy, American Enterprise Institute; Board Member, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, Researcher, Transitional Justice Working Group
Greg Scarlatoiu, moderator, Executive Director, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
3:00pm Break
3:15-4:30 pm | A New Approach to North Korea Policy: Human Rights up Front?
Dr. Kim Dong-Su, Senior Advisor, Institute for National Security Strategy
The Honorable Robert Joseph , Former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control & International Security; Board Member, Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
The Honorable Joseph DeTrani, Former U.S. Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks with N. Korea
Dr. Larry Diamond, moderator, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy, Freeman Spogli Institute for Int’l Studies, Stanford University
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Abigail Skalka.
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