Page 20 - NKHR Hawaii Conference 2023

KEYNOTE SPEECHES

to suf er from food insecurity and are exploited through mass mobilizations and forced
labor camps.

For those of us sitting here today in this room, I hope this Conference will be a call to
action – to be a voice for the voiceless – to make clear to the people of North Korea that
we see their suf ering – and to demand that Kim Jong Un and the DPRK government
uphold its international obligations and take concrete steps to improve respect for human
rights in the DPRK.

Governments are meant to serve the people—not to exploit them.

In my role as Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights I will focus on advancing
f ve priority lines of ef ort.

First, the United States will continue to work in close partnership with our allies,
particularly the ROK to continue to shine the spotlight on the egregious human rights
violations and abuses committed by the DPRK government. This includes lifting the
voices of North Korean refugees, escapees and defectors and supporting efforts to
promote the free f ow of information into, out of and within the DPRK.

Second, the United States will continue to promote accountability for those responsible
for the DPRK’s human rights violations and abuses. This effort will require close
cooperation among all aspects of the international community, including survivors
of North Korea’s human rights abuses, international organizations, civil society and
governments.

Our third line of effort focuses on pressing the DPRK for concrete change, including
through the repeal of the “Anti-Reactionary Thought Law” and urging the DPRK
government to implement the recommendations it has accepted through the UN’s
Universal Periodic Review process. As we head into the DPRK’s next review cycle, the
international community stands ready to support the DPRK in implementing these
recommendations that can positively impact marginalized communities, including
persons with disabilities, women, and children.

A fourth priority is supporting the North Korean refugee community, particularly by
calling on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and all UN member states to respect the
principle of non-refoulement. T e DPRK’s systematic human rights abuses, particularly
its harsh punishment of individuals forcibly returned to the DPRK are well documented