Regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights.

1992/52.
Regional arrangements for the Promotion and protection of human rights

The Commission on Human Rights, Recalling General Assembly resolution 32/127 of 16 December 1977 and all subsequent resolutions concerning regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights, in particular Assembly resolutions 45/167 and 45/168 of 18 December 1990, Recalling that the General Assembly in its resolution 45/167 invited the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its forty-eighth session a report on the state of regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights and to include therein the results of action taken in pursuance of that resolution, Recalling its relevant resolutions concerning advisory services in the field of human rights, including its most recent resolution on that subject, 1991/50 of 5 March 1991, Recalling also its resolutions 1989/50 of 7 March 1989, 1990/71 of 7 March 1990 and 1991/28 of 5 March 1991 concerning regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian and Pacific region, Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights (E/CN.4/1992/58), Noting with satisfaction the progress achieved so far in the promotion and protection of human rights at the regional level under the auspices of the United Nations, the specialized agencies and the regional intergovernmental organizations, Reaffirming that regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights may make a major contribution to the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms and that the exchange of information and experience in this field among the regions, within the United Nations system, may be improved, Bearing in mind that regional instruments should complement the universally accepted human rights standards and that the persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies noted during their third meeting, held at Geneva from 1 to 5 October 1990 (see A/45/636, annex), that certain inconsistencies between provisions of international instruments and those of regional instruments might raise difficulties with regard to their implementation,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

2. Notes with interest that various contacts between regional bodies and commissions and the United Nations have continued to be pursued and strengthened through advisory services and technical assistance activities, with a view to the exchange of information and experience in the field of human rights;

3. Welcomes in that respect the close cooperation given by the Centre for Human Rights in the organization of regional and sub regional training courses or workshops in the field of human rights including, most recently, those that took place at San Remo, Cairo, Windhoek, Paris, Barcelona, Valetta, Caracas, Brasilia and Santiago;

4. Also welcomes the continuing cooperation and assistance of the Centre for Human Rights in the further strengthening of the existing regional arrangements and regional machinery for the promotion and protection of human rights;

5. Invites States in areas where regional arrangements in the field of human rights do not yet exist to consider agreements with a view to the establishment within their respective regions of suitable regional machinery for the promotion and protection of human rights;

6. Welcomes in this regard the continued cooperation of the Centre for Human Rights with the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific for the establishment of a depositary centre for United Nations human rights materials within that Commission at Bangkok;

7. Endorses the efforts of the Centre for Human Rights to enhance cooperation between the United Nations and regional and national institutions, particularly in the field of advisory services and technical assistance, public information and education in the field of human rights;

8. Stresses the importance of the programme of advisory services in the field of human rights and renews its appeal to all Governments to consider making use of the possibilities offered by the United Nations under this programme of organizing information and/or training courses at the national level for government personnel on the application of international human rights standards and the experience of relevant international bodies;

9. Requests the Secretary-General, as foreseen in the medium-term plan for the period 1992-1997, to continue to strengthen exchanges between the United Nations and regional intergovernmental organizations dealing with human rights, and welcomes, in this connection, the fact that the Centre for Human Rights will continue to organize national, regional and subregional workshops and training courses for government officials engaged in the administration of justice and in the implementation of the international human rights instruments;

10. Invites the organizers of regional meetings convened in preparation for the World Conference on Human Rights to promote further ratification of and accession to United Nations human rights treaties and the implementation of those universally accepted human rights standards;

11. Stresses the importance of continuing to pay special attention to the most appropriate ways of assisting, at their request, countries of the different regions under the programme of advisory services and to make, where necessary, the relevant recommendations;

12. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its forty-ninth session a report on the state of regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights and to include the results of action taken in pursuance of the present resolution;

13. Decides to consider the question further at its forty-ninth session under the agenda item entitled "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
3 March 1992
[Adopted without a vote. See chap. XI.]