Staff members of the United Nations and the specialized agencies in detention.

1990/31. Staff members of the United Nations and the specialized agencies in detention

The Commission on Human Rights, Recalling General Assembly resolutions 42/219 of 21 December 1987, 43/225 of 21 December 1988 and 44/186 of 19 December 1989, in which the Assembly deplored the increase in the number of cases where the functioning, safety and well being of officials had been adversely affected, including cases of detention in Member States and abduction by armed groups and individuals, and the increasing number of cases in which the lives and well being of officials had been placed in jeopardy during the exercise of their official functions, Recalling its resolution 1989/28 of 6 March 1989, in which it requested the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to ensure that the human rights and privileges and immunities of the United Nations staff members and experts and their families were fully respected, and to submit to the Commission at its forty-sixth session an updated version of the report submitted to it at its forty-fifth session on the situation of United Nations staff members, experts and their families detained, imprisoned, missing or held in a country against their will, Taking note with appreciation of the preliminary report on the protection of human rights of United Nations staff members, experts and their families (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1989/28), submitted to the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities at its forty-first session by one of its members, Welcoming the decision of the Sub-Commission to invite one of its members to continue her study so as to submit an updated version of the aforesaid report, at its forty-second session, Considering that at a time when the United Nations is being called upon to undertake greater responsibilities in various parts of the world, it is imperative that its staff members be able to perform their duties with the assurances that their human rights, privileges and immunities will be fully respected, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and other international instruments, Gravely concerned that a significant number of United Nations staff members, experts and their families continue to be held captive or are otherwise unaccounted for, Noting the need for updated and complete information on the situation of United Nations staff members, experts and their families detained, imprisoned, missing or held in a country against their will, Preoccupied by the inordinate delays which different organizations of the United Nations system face when trying to exercise fully the right of functional protection of their staff members, Greatly appreciating the efforts of the Secretary-General to promote a satisfactory resolution of all cases of this kind, and noting that these efforts have already produced concrete results concerning the security of United Nations staff members, experts and their families,

1. Appeals again to Member States to respect and to ensure respect for the rights of staff members and others acting under the authority of the United Nations and their families;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to ensure that the human rights, privileges and immunities of the United Nations staff members, experts and their families are fully respected;

3. Urges Member States, in accordance with the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988, to provide adequate and prompt information concerning the arrest or detention of United Nations staff members, experts and their families, and to grant the representative of the competent international organization access to them without delay;

4. Also urges Member States to allow medical teams to investigate cases in which the health of staff members and experts and their families who are being detained is reported to have suffered and to permit the necessary medical treatment to be made available;

5. Calls upon Member States to allow the representative of the competent international organization to attend any hearing concerning United Nations staff members, experts and their families;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its forty-seventh session an updated version of the report presented to the forty-fifth session on the situation of United Nations staff members, experts and their families detained, imprisoned, missing or held in a country against their will, including those cases which have been successfully settled since the presentation of the last report, as well as on the implementation of the measures referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the present resolution.

48th meeting
2 March 1990
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. X.]