Development of public information activities in the field of human rights, including the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights.

Development of public information activities in the field of human rights, including the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights

Commission on Human Rights resolution 1995/49

The Commission on Human Rights, Reaffirming that activities to improve public knowledge in the field of human rights are essential to the fulfilment of the principles and purposes of the United Nations set out in Article 1, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, and that carefully designed programmes of teaching, education and information are essential to the achievement of lasting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, Recalling previous General Assembly and its own resolutions on this subject, Recognizing the significant effect of United Nations initiatives on public information activities in the field of human rights, Taking note of the valuable role that non-governmental organizations can play in this endeavour, Believing that the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights is a valuable complement to the activities of the United Nations aimed at the further promotion and protection of human rights, and recalling the importance attached by the World Conference on Human Rights to strengthening the World Campaign,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the development of public information activities in the field of human rights, including the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights (E/CN.4/1995/46 and Add.1);

2. Appreciates the measures taken by the Department of Public Information and the Centre for Human Rights to ensure the further production and effective dissemination of human rights information materials in regional and local languages, in cooperation with regional, national and local organizations, as well as with Governments, in particular as a component of the technical assistance projects of the Centre for Human Rights, and encourages the Secretary-General to ensure the widest possible dissemination of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and of information on its follow-up activities;

3. Urges the Centre for Human Rights, in cooperation with the Department of Public Information, to finalize its comprehensive review of the programme of information and publications in the field of human rights, including the elaboration of a new information strategy and to make an assessment of the effectiveness of this programme, and to present a detailed report on this issue for the consideration of the Commission at its fifty-third session;

4. Encourages the Centre to continue the development of training courses and materials, including targeted training manuals for professional audiences, as described in the report of the Secretary-General;

5. Takes note of the efforts of the Department of Public Information with respect to computer-accessible information on all aspects of human rights and of the Centre for Human Rights to establish a database for the promotion of all aspects of human rights;

6. Urges the Department of Public Information, in cooperation with the Centre for Human Rights, to utilize more fully and effectively United Nations information centres for the purpose of timely dissemination, within their designated areas of activity, of basic information and reference materials on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the reports of States parties to treaty-monitoring bodies, and, to this end, to ensure that United Nations information centres are supplied with adequate quantities of those materials, both in the official languages of the United Nations and in the relevant national languages;

7. Urges the Department of Public Information to make full use of resources available for this purpose to produce factual information materials on all aspects of human rights in all regions;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to take advantage as much as possible of the collaboration of non-governmental organizations in the implementation of the World Public Information Campaign, including in the dissemination of human rights materials;

9. Encourages all Member States to make special efforts to provide, facilitate and promote publicity for the activities of the United Nations in the field of human rights, to accord priority to the dissemination in their respective national and local languages of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other international instruments and to provide information and education on the practical ways in which the rights and freedoms enjoyed under these instruments can be exercised;

10. Supports the recommendation contained in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (A/CONF.157/23) adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights that Member States develop specific programmes and strategies for ensuring the widest human rights education and the dissemination of public information, taking particular account of the human rights needs of women, and encourages Member States, in drawing up national action plans for the promotion and protection of human rights, to include broad-based education and public information programmes on human rights;

11. Calls upon the High Commissioner for Human Rights to coordinate and harmonize human rights information strategies within the United Nations system;

12. Requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure close cooperation between the Centre for Human Rights and the Department of Public Information in the implementation of the aims established for the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights and coordination with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization regarding education for human rights, taking into account the launching by the United Nations General Assembly of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education;

13. Requests the Secretary-General to consider making available adequate resources from within the regular budget of the United Nations in order to allow the Centre to implement fully its publications programme, as part of his efforts towards strengthening the Centre for Human Rights, implementing the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and supporting the High Commissioner for Human Rights in his coordinating role;

14. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission, at its fifty-third session, a report on public information activities, with special emphasis on the activities of the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights, including information on expenditures incurred in the biennium 1994-1995 and those envisaged for future activities and other questions raised in the present resolution;

15. Decides to continue its consideration of the question at its fifty-third 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".

53rd meeting 3 March 1995 [Adopted without a vote. See chap. XI.]