[Domestic and International Solidarity] Asian Federation Against Forced Disappearances (AFAD)
The Citizens' Coalition for North Korean Human Rights stands in solidarity with all victims of enforced disappearance and cooperates with various domestic and international organizations and institutions aiming to achieve justice and accountability.
As a member organization of the Asian Federation Against Forced Disappearances (AFAD), the North Korean Human Rights Citizens' Coalition actively contributes to regional efforts to uncover the truth and achieve justice for victims of enforced disappearance. As part of these efforts, the Coalition participates in various AFAD meetings and collaborates on joint archiving projects to preserve evidence and testimonies for future accountability procedures.
Most recently, on January 13, 2025, the Coalition attended AFAD's administrative meeting to review the 2025 operating budget and discuss strategic resource allocation for joint projects.
Furthermore, the North Korean Human Rights Citizens' Coalition held a series of online meetings with AFAD on April 23, May 23, June 9, and June 17, 2025, to discuss financial management systems. Based on these meetings, a draft of a new Shared Responsibilities and Accountabilities Agreement was prepared for application to projects supported by Bread for the World.
At the AFAD Council Meeting held on April 25, 2025, member organizations jointly reviewed the annual plan for 2024 to 2028, and discussions were also held regarding the appointment of the AFAD Headquarters Secretary General.
From April 28 to May 1, 2025, Kim Bitna, Project Manager of the Campaign Team, attended a framing and media workshop hosted by AFAD in Bangkok, Thailand. This workshop addressed how to incorporate the value of ‘hope’ into human rights communication when conveying tragic human rights cases such as enforced disappearances.
On May 1, 2025, twelve AFAD member organizations, including the North Korean Human Rights Citizens' Coalition, held a meeting with members of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID). At this meeting, Manager Kim Bit-na, representing four AFAD member organizations from East and Southeast Asia, briefed the committee members on the current situation of enforced disappearances in the region and conveyed recommendations regarding this issue.