The Hon. Michael Kirby | The Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK: 10 years on

A conversation with the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK was chaired by the Hon. Michael Kirby, who had previously served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1996 to 2009. The Commission's report found that systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations had been committed by DPRK institutions and officials. In many instances, these violations amounted to crimes against humanity. The report was presented to the Human Rights Council on 17 March 2014 and subsequently sent to the UN General Assembly, which voted to transmit the report to the UN Security Council. No further substantive action was taken by the Council, and the issue remains on the agenda to this day.  

In this conversation, the Hon. Michael Kirby will reflect on the impact of the report and consider its legacy. 

This event will be introduced by Professor Justine Nolan (Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute) and moderated by Associate Professor Christopher Michaelsen (UNSW Law & Justice and Australian Human Rights Institute Associate)