Respect for human rights in armed conflicts

UN General Assembly, Respect for human rights in armed conflicts, A/RES/2676, UN General Assembly, 9 December 1970, https://www.refworld.org/legal/resolution/unga/1970/en/27933 [accessed 03 October 2024]
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XXV. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE
2676. Respect for human rights in armed conflicts

The General Assembly, Recalling that the Preamble of the Charter of the United Nations affirms faith in the dignity and worth of the human person, Recalling that the United Nations has as one of its purposes the achievement of international cooperation in solving international problems of a humanitarian character and the promotion of respect for human rights, Reiterating the obligation of Member States for the urgent termination of all armed aggression, as envisaged in Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter and in other relevant documents of the United Nations, Noting the obligation of Member States under the Charter to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights, Recalling its resolutions 2444 (XXIII) of 19 December 1968 and 2597 (XXIV) of 16 December 1969, in which it invited the Secretary-General, in consultation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, to study, inter alia:

(a) Steps which could be taken to secure the better application of existing humanitarian international conventions and rules in all armed conflicts,

(b) The need for additional humanitarian international conventions or for other appropriate legal instruments to ensure the. better protection of civilians, prisoners and combatants in all armed conflicts,

Believing, therefore, that the treatment accorded to victims of war and armed aggression is a concern of the United Nations, Noting resolution XI, adopted by the twenty-first International Conference of the Red Cross held at Istanbul in 1969,[1] calling upon all parties to the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, of 12 August 1949,[2] to ensure that all persons entitled to prisoner of war status are treated humanely and given the fullest measure of protection prescribed by the Convention, and that all parties involved in an armed conflict, no matter how it is characterized, provide free access to prisoners of war and to all places of their detention by a protecting Power or by the International Committee of the Red Cross, Considering that the direct repatriation of seriously wounded and seriously sick prisoners of war and the repatriation or internment in a neutral country of prisoners of war who have undergone a long period of captivity constitute important aspects of human rights as advanced and preserved under the Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Charter of the United Nations,

1. Calls upon all parties to any armed conflict to comply with the terms and provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, of 12 August 1949, so as to ensure the humane treatment of all persons entitled to the protection of the Convention and, inter alia, to permit regular inspection, in accordance with the Convention, of all places of detention of prisoners of war by a protecting Power or humanitarian organization such as the International Committee of the Red Cross;

2. Endorses the continuing efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure the effective application of the Geneva Convention of 19499

3. Requests the Secretary-General to exert all efforts to obtain humane treatment for prisoners of war, especially for the victims of armed aggression and colonial suppression;

4. Urges compliance with article 109 of the Geneva Convention of 1949, which requires the repatriation of seriously wounded and seriously sick prisoners of war and which provides for agreements with a view to the direct repatriation or internment in a neutral country of able-bodied prisoners of war who have undergone a long period of captivity;

5. Urges that combatants in all armed conflicts not covered by article 4 of the Geneva Convention of 1949 be accorded the same humane treatment defined by the principles of international law applied to prisoners of war;

6. Urges strict compliance with the provisions of the existing international instruments concerning human rights in armed conflicts, and urges those States which have not yet done so to ratify or accede to the relevant instruments in order to facilitate in all aspects the protection of the victims of armed conflicts.

1922nd plenary meeting,
9 December 1970.
[1] International Review of the Red Cross, No. 104 (November 1969), p. 614. [2] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75 (1950), No. 972.
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