The Role of Prevention in the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

A/HRC/RES/42/6View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 3Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, published in 2019.

What other versions does this mandate have?

5 versions · 2010–2019

2019A/HRC/RES/42/6The role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rightsLatestCompare with previous version
2016A/HRC/RES/33/6The role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rightsCompare with previous version
2013A/HRC/RES/24/16The role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rightsCompare with previous version
2011A/HRC/RES/18/13The role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rightsCompare with previous version
2010A/HRC/RES/14/5The role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Crime Prevention Human Rights International Obligations Report Preparation Special Procedures

What does this mandate say?

31 operative paragraphs

Affirms the importance of effective preventive measures as a part of overall strategies for the promotion and protection of all human rights;

Recognizes that States have the primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of all human rights, including the prevention of human rights violations and abuses;

Stresses that States should promote supportive and enabling environments for the prevention of human rights violations, including by, inter alia:

Considering ratifying international human rights conventions and covenants;

Fully implementing international human rights conventions and covenants to which they are party;

Enhancing and developing good governance, democratic systems, the rule of law and accountability;

Adopting policies to ensure the enjoyment of all human rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights;

Addressing all forms of discrimination, including racial discrimination;

Addressing factors, inter alia inequality and poverty, that may lead to situations in which human rights violations are committed;

Promoting a free and active civil society;

Promoting freedom of opinion and expression;

Ensuring, where they exist, strong and independent national human rights institutions, in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles);

Promoting human rights education and training;

Ensuring an independent and functioning judiciary;

Fighting corruption;

Welcomes the role of national human rights institutions in contributing to the prevention of human rights violations, and encourages States to strengthen the mandate and capacity of such institutions, where they exist, to enable them to fulfil this role effectively in accordance with the Paris Principles;

Continues to invite national human rights institutions to consider addressing the issue of the role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights in the framework of relevant international and regional forums;

Welcomes the role of civil society in contributing to the promotion of human rights and the prevention of human rights violations;

Acknowledges that, in its resolution 60/251, the General Assembly decided that the Human Rights Council shall, inter alia, contribute, through dialogue and cooperation, towards the prevention of human rights violations and respond promptly to human rights emergencies;

Also acknowledges the importance of the universal periodic review as a cooperative mechanism of the Human Rights Council aimed at, inter alia, improving human rights situations on the ground and the fulfilment of the State’s human rights obligations and commitments, based on the principle of promoting the universality, interdependence, indivisibility and interrelatedness of all human rights;

Further acknowledges that technical assistance and capacity-building in the field of human rights may contribute to the prevention of human rights violations and abuses;

Recognizes the particular importance of the role played by the system of special procedures as a tool in preventing human rights violations and abuses by, inter alia, monitoring, reporting and/or making recommendations to States and other stakeholders, and reaffirms the importance of upholding the independence of the special procedures, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/2;

Invites the special procedures, in accordance with their mandates, to continue to identify and incorporate practical approaches to the prevention of human rights violations and abuses in their assessments and recommendations, and to explore further ways to contribute to enhancing cooperation of United Nations actors towards better achieving the preventive mandate of the United Nations system;

Stresses the need to develop further the concept of the prevention of human rights violations and to step up efforts to raise awareness of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights in order to encourage its reflection in relevant policies and strategies at the national, regional and international levels;

Recognizes the need for further research to assist States, at their request, and other stakeholders to understand and mainstream the role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights;

Continues to encourage the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the basis of consultation with States, relevant regional organizations, national human rights institutions and other relevant stakeholders, to inform the Human Rights Council on a regular basis on the practical applications of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights;

Welcomes the summary of the Office of the High Commissioner of the expert workshop on the role and contribution of civil society organizations, academia, national human rights institutions and other relevant stakeholders in the prevention of human rights abuses, and the conclusions and recommendations contained therein, submitted to the Council at its thirty-ninth session;

Affirms the primary responsibility of States to strengthen rule of law institutions and to provide effective frameworks for all prevention efforts, including those of civil society actors, academics and national human rights institutions in fulfilling their monitoring, reporting and advocacy functions;

Requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a study, to be presented to the Human Rights Council at its forty-fifth session, on the contribution of the special procedures in assisting States and other stakeholders in the prevention of human rights violations and abuses;

Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to gather information and research for further preparation of a practical toolkit to support States and other stakeholders in the practical application of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights;

Decides to continue consideration of the matter under the same agenda item, in conformity with its annual programme of work.

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