May 6, 2015

Michael Kirby public lecture on North Korea’s human rights breaches

Revelations on the many breaches of universal human rights by North Korea will be the focus of a public lecture to be delivered by former High Court Justice, Michael Kirby, AC CMG, in Wollongong on Monday 11 May.

The public lecture is a special event marking the 25^th anniversary celebration for the UOW Law School.

In 2013, Mr Kirby was appointed to chair a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea. His investigation revealed many breaches of universal human rights and made many recommendations in 2014.

In his public lecture, Mr Kirby will consider the progress that may be made following up the Commission’s report and dilemmas and paradoxes that exist in pursuing human rights improvement in North Korea.

The title of his address is ‘United Nations Human Rights Inquiry on North Korea: Background, reaction and prospects’.

Mr Kirby was Australia’s longest serving judge when he retired from the High Court of Australia in 2009. He is renowned for his commitment to social justice and for inspirational judgments over 35 years on three courts and an Arbitration Commission.

He has also served on a number of high-profile international boards – from the UN Special Representative on Human Rights in Cambodia to the World Health Organisation’s Global Commission on AIDS.