Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

A/RES/58/178View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 117b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2004.

What other versions does this mandate have?

10 versions · 1999–2010

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/64/163

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2010	A/RES/64/163	Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms	1,470	84%Compare
2008	A/RES/62/152	Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms	1,483	74%Compare
2006	A/RES/60/161	Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms	1,416	76%Compare
2005	A/RES/59/192	Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms	1,267	68%Compare
2004	A/RES/58/178	Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms	1,087	71%Compare

What subjects does this mandate have?

16 subjects

Access to Information Cooperation Between Organizations Counter-Terrorism Declarations Financing Human Resources Human Rights Human Rights Activists Human Rights Advancement Human Rights in Armed Conflicts Human Rights Violations Impunity Information Dissemination International Obligations Special Representatives Translation

What’s in this document?

15 operative paragraphs

Calls upon all States to promote and give full effect to the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, including by taking, as appropriate, practical steps to that end;

Welcomes the reports of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights defenders⁴ and her contribution to the effective promotion of the Declaration and the improvement of the protection of human rights defenders worldwide;

⁴E/CN.4/2001/94 and E/CN.4/2002/106 and Add.1 and 2; see also A/56/341 and A/57/182.

Encourages all States to ensure and maintain an environment conducive to the work of human rights defenders;

Condemns all human rights violations committed against persons engaged in promoting and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms around the world, and urges States to take all appropriate action, consistent with the Declaration and all other relevant human rights instruments, to eliminate such human rights violations;

Calls upon all States to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders, at both the local and the national levels;

Urges States to ensure that any measures to combat terrorism and preserve national security comply with their obligations under international law, in particular under international human rights law, and do not hinder the work and safety of human rights defenders;

Emphasizes the importance of combating impunity, and in this regard urges States to take appropriate measures to address the question of impunity for threats, attacks and acts of intimidation against human rights defenders;

Urges all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special Representative in the performance of her tasks and to furnish all information in the fulfilment of her mandate upon request;

Calls upon Governments to give serious consideration to responding favourably to the requests of the Special Representative to visit their countries, and urges them to enter into a constructive dialogue with the Special Representative with respect to the follow-up to her recommendations, so as to enable her to fulfil her mandate even more effectively;

Urges those Governments that have not yet responded to the communications transmitted to them by the Special Representative to answer without further delay;

Invites Governments to consider translating the Declaration into national languages, and encourages them to disseminate it widely;

Requests all concerned United Nations agencies and organizations, within their mandates, to provide all possible assistance and support to the Special Representative in the implementation of her programme of activities;

Invites relevant United Nations bodies, including at the country level, within their mandates and working in cooperation with States, to give due consideration to the Declaration and to the reports of the Special Representative, and requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to draw the attention of all relevant United Nations bodies, including at the country level, to the reports of the Special Representative;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Special Representative with all necessary human, material and financial resources in order to enable her to continue to carry out her mandate effectively, including through country visits;

Decides to consider this question at its fifty-ninth session under the item entitled “Human rights questions”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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