A/HRC/10/18 page 4 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur was established by the Commission on Human Rights in 2004. It has since been renewed annually, and the Special Rapporteur currently submits two reports per annum: one to the Human Rights Council, the other to the General Assembly. The Special Rapporteur warmly thanks Governments, members of civil society, United Nations agencies and other entities that helped to provide information for the present report. It is regrettable that the authorities of the country in question have declined to cooperate with this mandate, despite efforts by the Special Rapporteur to engage with the country in a constructive manner. The report covers 2008 through to the beginning of 2009. II. SITUATION 2. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has a population of some 23 million people living under a non-democratic system of government.1 In recent years, the authorities of the country have opened the door slightly to engage with the international community. It is party to four human rights treaties: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its relationship with the monitoring bodies and related reporting obligations is noted in the table annexed to the report. It is due to appear before the Committee on the Rights of the Child to review its latest report in 2009. 3. Since the devastating floods of 2006 and 2007, the country has become more accessible to international aid and has cooperated relatively well with the relevant United Nations agencies delivering aid (see section B below). In addition, it has undertaken some law reforms which may have been influenced by its relationship with the above-mentioned treaties. For example, in the period 2004-2007, it reformed the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code. Furthermore, it has re-engaged with certain non-governmental organizations from outside the country to enable them to provide assistance for pressing matters, such as food aid, health and sanitation facilities, disaster relief and preparedness, and reform of institutions housing persons with disabilities, despite having forced some of these organizations to leave the country several years ago. It has opened the door to some seminar-related activities with European Union support. 1 For recent literature on human rights in the country, see Kie-Duck Park and Sang-Jion Han (eds.), Human Rights in North Korea: Towards a Comprehensive Understanding, The Sejong Institute, Seoul, 2007; White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea, Korean Institute for National Unification, Seoul, 2008; Haksoon Paik and Seong-Chang Cheong (eds.), North Korea in Distress: Confronting Domestic and External Challenges, the Sejong Institute, Seoul, 2008; International Perspectives and Challenges concerning North Korean Human Rights, Proceedings of the International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights, National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Seoul, 2008; CRS Report for Congress: The North Korean Economy: Leverage and Policy Analysis, Congressional Research Service, Washington, 2008; Country report: North Korea, Economist Intelligence Unit, London, 2008.