Integrating Human Rights into Sustainable Development Goals: The DPRK’s Voluntary National Review and Challenges Ahead

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry report on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the question of how to improve human rights within the country remains pressing.
The DPRK presented its Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the UN High Level Political Forum in 2021, outlining its adherence to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper analyzes the extent to which the DPRK recognizes and implements a human rights-based approach to the SDGs, considering its history of human rights violations. A qualitative textual analysis of the DPRK’s VNR and UN documents reveals the challenges and potential alignments between DPRK’s national development strategies and a human rights-based approach. The findings suggest that while the DPRK shows some commitment to the SDGs, significant gaps remain in fully embracing a human rights framework. However, potential openings may exist to integrate HRBA into the country’s development agenda by leveraging international collaboration and technical assistance for data training and analysis.