Suwon City Publishes Human Rights White Paper 'Walking Between People and Relationships'

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Suwon City in Gyeonggi Province has published a human rights white paper titled "Walking Between People," which records the footsteps taken toward becoming a "Human Rights City" over the past decade.

This human rights white paper is composed of three chapters: ▲Suwon, the Road to Becoming a Human Rights City ▲Places Protecting the Human Rights of Suwon Citizens ▲Voicing Human Rights. It also includes the process of promoting Suwon as a human rights city, Suwon City's human rights-related systems, and interviews with members of the Human Rights Committee and human rights education officials.

Suwon City established the "Basic Plan for Human Rights City Suwon" in October 2012, then the following year created a human rights team, enacted a human rights ordinance, and formed the "Suwon City Human Rights Committee," officially beginning efforts to build a "Human Rights City."

Subsequently, in May 2015, Suwon opened the first "Human Rights Center" in Gyeonggi Province, and in January 2019, it established the nation's first "Human Rights Officer" position among basic local governments, continuously striving to protect citizens' human rights.

The Human Rights Center independently investigates human rights violations occurring in Suwon City and its affiliated institutions, invested and funded organizations, and facilities and groups supported by the city in relation to their work. If it judges a case to be a human rights violation, it recommends institutional improvements to the investigated organization. The center also published the "Suwon City Human Rights Center Casebook" twice, in 2017 and 2020.

The Human Rights Center achieved results by recommending improvements to the restroom usage system during civil service exams, leading to policy changes at the central government level. It also pioneered Suwon City's human rights administration by systematizing and introducing the nation's first human rights impact assessment system into municipal governance.

Furthermore, in December 2021, Suwon opened its first "Human Rights Government Building," the Jidong Administrative Welfare Center. In September 2017, Suwon formed the "Suwon City Public Building Human Rights Impact Assessment Council," consisting of public officials and experts in human rights and architecture, taking the first step toward making public buildings more human rights-friendly.

The new Jidong Administrative Welfare Center was built as Gyeonggi Province's first "Human Rights Government Building," undergoing meticulous human rights impact assessments from the design stage through construction. The building incorporates "BF" (barrier-free) certification standards and human rights-based "universal design."

Suwon City printed a "Voice Eye" code in this human rights white paper. By scanning the Voice Eye code with a smartphone, users can listen to the white paper's content audibly. This is a consideration for visually impaired people, the elderly, and others who have difficulty accessing printed information.