Regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian-Pacific region.

1991/28. Regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian-Pacific region

The Commission on Human Rights, Recalling that the General Assembly, in its resolutions 41/153 of 4 December 1986, 43/140 of 8 December 1988, and 45/168 of 18 December 1990, affirmed the value of regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian-Pacific region, Recalling also its resolutions 1988/73 of 10 March 1988, 1989/50 of 7 March 1989 and 1990/71 of 7 March 1990, Noting Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific resolution 45/2 of 5 April 1989, Bearing in mind that intergovernmental arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights have been established in other regions, Recognizing the valuable contribution that could be made by national institutions in the field of human rights to the concept of regional arrangements, Recognizing also that non-governmental organizations may have a valuable role to play in this process, Noting the value of the Seminar on national, local and regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian region, held at Colombo in 1982 (A/37/422, annex), and the training course of human rights teaching held at Bangkok in 1987 under the United Nations programme of advisory services in the field of human rights (E/CN.4/1988/39/Add.1),

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.4/1991./21 and Add.1);

2. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure a continuing flow of human rights materials to the library of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific;

3. Encourages all Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific member States, associate Members and other parties to make full use of the depositary centre of that organization;

4. Encourages once again United Nations development agencies in the Asian-Pacific region to coordinate with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in their efforts to promote the human rights dimension in their activities;

5. Welcomes the holding of the first Asian-Pacific regional workshop on various human rights issues, including regional and national institutions and arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights, held in Manila from 7 to 11 May 1990, the Seminar/Workshop on Human Rights for public officials of the countries of the South Pacific held in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands, from 21 to 23 November 1990, the World Congress on Human Rights held in New Delhi from 10 to 15 December 1990 and the National Seminar on Human Rights held in Jakarta on 21 and 22 January 1991;

6. Encourages all States in the region to further consider the establishment of regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian and Pacific region and, in this regard, requests the Secretary-General to organize, within existing resources, a seminar to discuss this matter;

7. Appeals to all Governments in the region to consider making use of the possibility offered by the United Nations of organizing, under the programme of advisory services and technical assistance in the field of human rights, information and/or training courses at the national level for appropriate government personnel on the application of international human rights standards and the experience of relevant international organs;

8. Encourages all States in the region to consider ratifying or acceding to the various human rights instruments;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to consult the States in the Asian-Pacific region on the widest possible basis in the implementation of the present resolution;

10. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its forty-eighth session a further report incorporating information on the progress achieved in the implementation of the present resolution;

11. Decides to continue its consideration of the question at its forty-eighth session under the agenda item "Further promotion and encouragement of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the question of the programme and methods of work of the Commission".

52nd meeting
5 March 1991
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. XI.]