OECD Watch의 한국의 3차 NAP를 비판하는 공개 서한

  
제 3차 국가인권정책기본계획(NAP)이 발표된 이후, 어필을 포함한 시민사회의 많은 사람들은 실망을 감추지 못하였습니다. 많은 회의와 건의가 있었음에도 불구하고 국가인권기본계획이 사회의 사각지대에 있는 사람들의 인권을 충분히, 진정으로 고심한 흔적이 전혀 보이지 않았기 때문인데요, 이러한 비판은 비단 한국 내의 시민사회뿐만 아니라 전세계적으로도 이루어지고 있는 상황입니다. 세계 55개국 100여개의 국제시민사회단체로 구성된 글로벌 네트워크이자, OECD 가이드라인 국가연락사무소(NCP) 동료평가에 공식적으로 참여할 수 있는 OECD Watch는, 지난 4월에 한국정부가 발표한 NCP의 문제점을 짚으면서 수정 사항과 권고를 담은 편지를 법무부와 산업통상자원부에 전달했습니다. OECD Watch는 이번 의견서에서 NAP 초안이 NCP에 대한 국제사회의 권고를 반영하지 않았고 NCP 운영 현황을 긍정적으로 서술한 점에 대해 우려를 표하면서 개혁 사항을 다음과 같이 요청하였습니다. (이 글은 국제민주연대의 글을 참고하여 작성하였습니다)

– 기업과 인권 문제의 전문성 수준과 책임성, 투명성 및 공정성을 고려하여 독립적인 위원회를 수립할 것

– 기업, 노동조합 및 시민사회 대표자를 NCP 위원으로 동등하게 포함시키고, 위원 추천시에 BIAC, TUAC 및 OECD Watch와 상의할 것

– 외무부와 법무부의 대표를 다른 정부부처의 대표와 동등하게 포함시킬 것

– 직업 순환 시스템으로 인해 OECD 가이드라인과 NCP의 위임 사항에 대한 전문 지식이 부족한 NCP의 정부 위원에게 특별한 훈련과 교육을 제공할 것

– 기업의 부당한 영향으로부터 NCP 사무국을 보호할 것

–  NCP 사무국의 재원을 늘려 효율성을 향상시킬 것

– 진정 처리시 NCP의 효율성을 높이기 위한 새로운 절차 규칙을 개발할 것 
 
다음은 OECD Watch의 서신 전문입니다.  
 
Mr. Heeseok Hwang (attyhhs1@korea.kr) 
Director General, Human Rights Bureau, Ministry of Justice 
Mr. Young Jin Jang (koreancp@kcab.or.kr) 
Chair, Korean NCP, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy 
Mr. Hyun Suk Oh (ohs1905@hanmail.net) 
General Secretary, Korean NCP 
Amsterdam, 25 April 2018 
Reforms to Strengthen the South Korean National Contact Point through the South Korean National Action Plan 
Dear Mr. Hwang, Mr. Jang, and Mr. Oh, 
 
We write to you because of our interest in strengthening the performance of all National Contact Points (NCPs) under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (the Guidelines). We wish to express our concern with the limited scope of the draft third South Korean National Action Plan (NAP) as it relates to the Korean NCP. We believe that the Business and Human Rights section of this NAP should more explicitly recognise the potential importance of a well-functioning NCP and make specific proposals for changes to the NCP that can increase its effectiveness. In our view, the Korean NCP is in need of significant reforms and the third NAP can be an important step in bringing these reforms about. 
 
OECD Watch is a global network of civil society organisations with more than 100 members in 55 countries. One of our members, the Korean House of International Solidarity, presently serves on OECD Watch’s coordination committee. As you may know, OECD Watch has a formal relationship with the OECD in respect of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 
 
At the G20 Summit in 2017, then-President Moon Jae-in provided full support to the 2017 G20 Summit Leaders’ Declaration for enhancing the OECD Guidelines and the NCPs. The creation of South Korea’s third NAP, in advance of the OECD Peer Review of the South Korean NCP scheduled for 2019, is an especially timely opportunity for the government to demonstrate its commitment. 
 
We note that the National Human Rights Commission of Korea presented in March 2018 official recommendations to the Korean government for institutional reform of the Korean NCP. Authoritative voices outside of Korea have also called for strengthening the NCP. Following its visit to Korea in June 2017, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights emphasised the need for the participation of civil society and trade unions in the NCP. In October 2017, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in its concluding observations on the fourth periodic report of the Republic of Korea recommended the enhancement of the impact, transparency, inclusiveness, and effectiveness of the NCP. 
 
This UN report expressed concerns shared by many civil society organisations including OECD Watch over “the documented cases of human rights violations resulting from the operations Korean companies at home and abroad.” The report recommended that Korea “act upon allegations of violations of human rights resulting from activities of Korean companies, domestically and abroad that are brought to its attention and ensure that victims can obtain claim reparations through the State party’s judicial and non-judicial mechanisms.”  
 
A key purpose of an NCP—reiterated on many occasions by governments and intergovernmental bodies—is to provide a grievance mechanism to enable access to remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses. The NCP is Korea’s most significant nonjudicial mechanism in this regard. Unfortunately it is not working well. The small number of complaints submitted to the NCP over the years is inconsistent with the many known instances in which the operations of Korean companies have been incompatible with the expectations of responsible business behaviour set out in the OECD Guidelines.  
 
As a result of the NCP’s shortcomings, the NCP does not retain the confidence of social partners and other stakeholders in Korea. That confidence could be restored if alterations are made to the NCP’s institutional arrangement to strengthen the ability of the NCP to act with impartiality. We therefore suggest that the following structural reforms be recommended in the NAP and ultimately implemented at the NCP:  
 
-Establish a more independent commission with a view to increasing accountability, transparency, and impartiality as well as the level of expertise of commissioners in business and human rights matters.  
– Include an equal number of representatives from business, trade unions, and civil society as the NCP commissioners. Consult BIAC, TUAC, and OECD Watch for recommendations on experts from civil society who may serve as commissioners. 
– Include representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice on an equal basis with the representatives of the other participating ministries. 
– Provide special training and education to the governmental commissioners of the NCP who, due to their job rotation system, lack expertise on the OECD Guidelines and the mandates of the NCP.  
– Establish a secretariat that is protected from undue influence of business on any one Ministry. 
– Increase the financial resources for the NCP to enhance its effectiveness. 
– Develop new rules of procedure to increase the NCPs’ effectiveness in handling specific instance complaints. 
 
We believe that these recommendations, if implemented, would greatly increase the confidence of civil society and especially the potential users of the specific instance procedures. The Korean NCP would be more credible. This would bring the Korean NCP more in line with the commitments made by the Korean Government. These changes would in turn increase the positive impact and image of Korean business around the world.  
 
We would welcome your response to these recommendations and are available to discuss them. 
 
Yours Sincerely, 
Dr. Joseph Wilde-Ramsing, Ph.D. 
OECD Watch Coordinator 
 
Copies to: 
Mr. Kim Choong-soo and Mr. Yoon Jong-won, South Korean representation to the OECD 
Dr. Roel Nieuwenkamp, Chair of the OECD Working Party on Responsible Business 
Conduct 
Ms. Kathryn Dovey, OECD NCP Coordinator 
OECD Watch Sarphatistraat 30 1018 GL Amsterdam The Netherlands 
+31 (0)20 639 12 91 www.oecdwatch.org info@oecdwatch.org