Strengthening of United Nations action in the field of human rights through the promotion of international co-operation and the importance of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity.
- Author: UN Commission on Human Rights (47th sess. : 1991 : Geneva)
- Document source:
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Date:
6 March 1991
1991/79. Strengthening of United Nations action in the field of human rights through the promotion of international cooperation and the importance of non-selectivity impartiality and objectivity
The Commission on Human Rights, Aware of the fact that the promotion, protection and full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all are legitimate concerns of the world community, Bearing in mind that one of the purposes of the United Nations is to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, Desirous, of achieving further progress in international cooperation in the field of promoting and encouraging respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, Deeply Convinced that such cooperation should be based on the principles embodied in international law, especially the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments, Convinced further that in order to be fully effective in the field of human rights, such cooperation should also be based on an adequate knowledge of the economic, social and cultural realities of different societies and on the understanding of the diversity of problems existing in them, Bearing also in mind the important contribution that accurate, impartial and objective information can make to achieving such knowledge and understanding, Recalling General Assembly resolutions 32/130 of 16 December 1,977, 37/200 of 18 December 1982, 41/155 of 4 December 1986 and 43/155 of 8 December 1988, Aware of General Assembly resolutions 2131 (XX) of 21 December 1965, 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970 and 36/103 of 9 December 1981, Aware of the fact that the promotion, protection and full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as legitimate concerns of the world community should be guided by the principles of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity, Underlining the paramount responsibility of each State to promote, protect and secure the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all and the duty that all Governments have to carry out the obligations they have undertaken under international law, especially the Charter of the United Nations, as well as various international instruments in the field of human rights, and to respect and enforce, in good faith, its domestic legislation in conformity with those instruments, Recalling General Assembly resolution 45/163 of 18 December 1990.1. Reiterates that, by virtue of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, all peoples have the right to freely determine, without external interference, their political status and to pursue their economic, social and cultural development and that every State has the duty to respect that right within the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, including respect for territorial integrity;
2. Reaffirms that it is a purpose of the United Nations and the task of all Member States, in cooperation with the Organization, to promote, encourage respect for and achieve the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and to remain vigilant with regard to violations of human rights wherever they occur;
3. Further reaffirms that the promotion, protection and full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms should be guided by the principles of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity and should not be used for political ends;
4. Calls upon all Member States to base their activities for the promotion, protection and full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the development of further international cooperation in this field, on the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant international instruments and to refrain from activities that are inconsistent with this international legal framework;
5. Reaffirms that such cooperation should make an effective and practical contribution to the urgent task of preventing mass and flagrant violations of human rights, to the promotion and full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all and to the strengthening of international peace and security;
6. Underlines, in this context, the continuing need for accurate, impartial and objective information on the political, economic and social, situations and events in all countries;
7. Recognizes the valuable role that non-governmental organizations can. play in the field of human rights;
8. Requests the Secretary-General to invite Governments to provide comments on the contents of the present resolution, to be transmitted to the Commission and to the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities at its forty-third session to assist in their further examination of the question, including possible ways and means to secure that accurate, impartial and objective information on the political, economic and social situations and events in all countries is made regularly available to human rights bodies and international public opinion, with a view to making recommendations on practical measures to promote international cooperation in the field of human rights;
9. Requests Mr. Louis Joinet and Mr. Danilo Türk, Special Rapporteurs of the Sub-Commission, to comment on the contents of the present resolution in the context of their Study on the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
54th meeting6 March 1991
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. XI.]
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