Promotion of 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

A/RES/66/164View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 69b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2011.

What subjects does this mandate have?

10 subjects

Counter-Terrorism Freedom of Association Freedom of Expression Human Rights Activists Human Rights Violations Impunity Information Dissemination Protest Movements Training Programmes Translation

What’s in this document?

17 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,⁶ including by taking, as appropriate, practical steps to that end;

⁶Resolution 53/144, annex.

Welcomes the reports of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the situation of human rights defenders⁷ and her contribution to the effective promotion of the Declaration and the improvement of the protection of human rights defenders worldwide;

⁷See A/63/288, A/64/226, A/65/223 and A/66/203.

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 prevent and eliminate such human rights violations;

Calls upon all States to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of human rights defenders, at both the local and the national levels, including in times of armed conflict and peacebuilding;

Calls upon States to respect, protect and ensure the rights to freedom of expression and association of human rights defenders and in this regard to ensure, where procedures governing registration of civil society organizations exist, that these are transparent, non-discriminatory, expeditious, inexpensive, allow for the possibility to appeal and avoid requiring re-registration, in accordance with national legislation, and are in conformity with international human rights law;

Also calls upon States to ensure that human rights defenders can perform their important role in the context of peaceful protests, in accordance with national legislation consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and international human rights law, and in this regard to ensure that no one is subject to excessive and indiscriminate use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, enforced disappearance, abuse of criminal and civil proceedings or threats of such acts;

Urges States to ensure that any measures to combat terrorism and preserve national security are in compliance with their obligations under international law, in particular under international human rights law, and do not hinder the work and safety of individuals, groups and organs of society engaged in promoting and defending human rights;

Also urges States to take appropriate measures to address the question of impunity for attacks, threats and acts of intimidation committed by State and non-State actors, including cases of gender-based violence, against human rights defenders and their relatives, including by ensuring that complaints from human rights defenders are promptly investigated and addressed in a transparent, independent and accountable manner;

Urges all States to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of her mandate and to provide all information in a timely manner, as well as to respond without undue delay to communications transmitted to them by the Special Rapporteur;

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

Strongly encourages States to translate the Declaration and to take measures to ensure its widest possible dissemination at the national and local levels, among public officials as well as individuals, groups, organs of society and other non-State actors;

Encourages States to promote awareness and training in regard to the Declaration in order to enable officials, agencies, authorities and members of the judiciary to observe the provisions of the Declaration and thus to promote better understanding and respect for individuals, groups and organs of society engaged in promoting and defending human rights, as well as for their work;

Encourages relevant United Nations bodies, including at the country level, within their respective mandates and working in cooperation with States, to give due consideration to the Declaration and to the reports of the Special Rapporteur, and in this context 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 Rapporteur;

Requests the Office of the High Commissioner, as well as other relevant United Nations bodies, offices, departments and specialized agencies, within their respective mandates, to consider ways in which they can assist States in strengthening the role and security of human rights defenders, including in situations of armed conflict and peacebuilding;

Requests all concerned United Nations agencies and organizations, within their mandates, to provide all possible assistance and support to the Special Rapporteur for the effective fulfilment of her mandate, including through country visits;

Requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to report annually on her activities to the General Assembly and to the Human Rights Council in accordance with her mandate;

Decides to consider the question at its sixty-eighth session under the item entitled “Promotion and protection of human rights”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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