Cablegate: Canada Taking "Harsher Line" On Dprk's Upr

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/03
TAGS: PHUM PREL AORC SOCI UN KN CA
SUBJECT: Canada taking "harsher line" on DPRK's UPR
REF: STATE 123209

CLASSIFIED BY: Scott Bellard, Minister Counselor for Political
Affairs, State, POL; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)

1. (C/NF) Canada agrees with U.S. views and suggested questions
and recommendations for the UN Human Rights Council's (HRC)
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the DPRK (reftel), according to
Cyndy Nelson, Policy Advisor for Human Rights, and Daniel Ulmer,
Policy Officer for Human Rights, in the Human Rights, Gender
Equality, Health, and Population Division of the Department of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Nelson added
that Canada plans to intervene at the December 7 session with its
own recommendations, which take an even "harsher line" than those
of the U.S. Ulmer commented that Canada is not expecting an "open
or frank" response from the DPRK, but DFAIT believes that this is
"a rare and important opportunity" to engage the DPRK on human
rights issues. Nelson confirmed that Canada intends to intervene
on all UPR sessions, and requested information on U.S. plans for
other UPRs. Ulmer noted that DFAIT selects its recommendations
using "SMART" criteria -- Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Relevant, and Timely, as well as those that can be fully realized
within the four-year timeline of UPR.

2. (C/NF) Ulmer outlined the six areas in which Canada will offer
recommendations at the HRC UPR of the DPRK:
1. The cessation of public executions and the use of torture
and the need for the DPRK to ratify international conventions on
torture;
2. The implementation of human rights obligations -
specifically on forced labor and arbitrary detentions - to which
the DPRK is already a signatory;
3. Greater freedom of association, freedom of movement, and
freedom of religion within the DPRK;
4. Ensure access to food and drinking water for all North
Koreans;
5. Increased access by humanitarian agencies - specifically
the UN World Food Program; and,
6. Greater DPRK cooperation with the HRC and the DPRK special
rapporteur.
3. (C/NF) Ulmer emphasized that, although Canada intends to "call
a spade a spade" with "credible and meaningful" recommendations to
the DPRK, DFAIT believes that a judicious selection of
recommendations that are "implementable with the possibility of
acceptance" has the best chance of success, given the typically
defensive posture of the DPRK on human rights issues.
JACOBSON

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