The 2nd Planning Committee Meeting Held
On September 3, the 2nd Planning Committee Meeting for the World Human Rights Cities Forum 2025 (WHRCF) was convened at the conference room of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall. The session focused on reviewing the outcomes and evaluations of this year’s Forum and discussing the theme for next year.
The meeting, attended by 11 committee members, including domestic human rights experts and local activists, began with a presentation of key achievements by Yeong Bae, Team Leader of the WHRCF Secretariat. The subsequent evaluation highlighted the need to establish both quantitative and qualitative assessment frameworks, strengthen human rights networks at the Regional Level (Metropolitan/Provincial Governments in Korea), and further develop the Forum as a platform for sharing and debating pressing policy issues. Committee members also pointed out that the local elections scheduled for June 2026 could influence the Forum’s operation, and underscored the importance of conducting a thorough legal and institutional review beforehand.
The discussion then shifted to the theme of the WHRCF 2026. Committee members emphasized the importance of addressing the rapid developments in artificial intelligence and digital technology, and how these can be meaningfully connected to the vision of human rights cities. They agreed that the Forum should not limit itself to AI alone, but adopt a broader approach that also encompasses issues such as information control, fake news, and privacy violations.
The theme for the next year’s Forum (WHRCF 2026) will undergo further discussion at the 3rd Planning Subcommittee Meeting, scheduled for September 25, 2025, before being submitted to the Planning Committee for final approval.
The 2nd Planning Committee Meeting Held
On September 3, the 2nd Planning Committee Meeting for the World Human Rights Cities Forum 2025 (WHRCF) was convened at the conference room of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall. The session focused on reviewing the outcomes and evaluations of this year’s Forum and discussing the theme for next year.
The meeting, attended by 11 committee members, including domestic human rights experts and local activists, began with a presentation of key achievements by Yeong Bae, Team Leader of the WHRCF Secretariat. The subsequent evaluation highlighted the need to establish both quantitative and qualitative assessment frameworks, strengthen human rights networks at the Regional Level (Metropolitan/Provincial Governments in Korea), and further develop the Forum as a platform for sharing and debating pressing policy issues. Committee members also pointed out that the local elections scheduled for June 2026 could influence the Forum’s operation, and underscored the importance of conducting a thorough legal and institutional review beforehand.
The discussion then shifted to the theme of the WHRCF 2026. Committee members emphasized the importance of addressing the rapid developments in artificial intelligence and digital technology, and how these can be meaningfully connected to the vision of human rights cities. They agreed that the Forum should not limit itself to AI alone, but adopt a broader approach that also encompasses issues such as information control, fake news, and privacy violations.
The theme for the next year’s Forum (WHRCF 2026) will undergo further discussion at the 3rd Planning Subcommittee Meeting, scheduled for September 25, 2025, before being submitted to the Planning Committee for final approval.