The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Korea has made a significant recommendation to strengthen human rights protection standards during the provision of public development assistance (ODA). On the 19th of this month, the NHRC urged the Minister of Economy and Finance and the President of the Korea Export-Import Bank to improve the safeguard system of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to prevent human rights violations and protect the rights of stakeholders involved in ODA projects. This recommendation was formalized during a NHRC executive committee meeting held last month on the 12th.

The NHRC emphasized that the EDCF safeguard system—which serves as a protective measure against the negative impacts of aid projects on local environments and societies—should be improved to enhance transparency and incorporate the participation of stakeholders potentially affected by ODA initiatives, such as laborers and indigenous peoples. The recommendation stipulates that the Korea Export-Import Bank's authority and responsibilities must be reinforced to ensure these stakeholders can express their grievances in the local language without fear of reprisal. Additionally, it calls for the enhancement of the accountability mechanism and the activation of the independent advisory body, the Environmental and Social Advisory Council, to ensure discussions are documented and made public.

Since joining the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2010, Korea has progressively expanded its ODA program. In light of recent global discussions around reinforcing environmental, social impact, and human rights protection criteria within ODA operations, the NHRC recognizes that large-scale infrastructure projects in developing countries can have lasting impacts on local communities’ rights and environments. Therefore, they assert that human rights considerations must be sufficiently integrated into these processes. The NHRC concluded by stating its intention to continuously monitor relevant policies and systems to ensure that ODA operations not only provide economic assistance but also adequately account for environmental, social consequences, and human rights protections.