REspect for human rights in armed conflicts.

31. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SIXTH COMMITTEE*
19. Respect for human rights in armed conflicts

The General Assembly, Conscious that a better application of existing humanitarian rules relating to armed conflicts and the development of further rules remains an urgent task in order to reduce the suffering brought about by all such conflicts, Recalling the successive resolutions adopted in the preceding years by the United Nations relating to human rights in armed conflicts and the debates on this subject, Noting the report of the Secretary-General on the third session of the Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts, held at Geneva from 21 April to 11 June 1976, and on the second session of the Conference of Government Experts on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, convoked by the International Committee of the Red Cross at Lugano from 28 January to 26 February 1976,[1] Welcoming the substantial progress made at the third session of the Diplomatic Conference and the work of the Conference of Government Experts, Noting that the Diplomatic Conference will continue its consideration of the use of specific conventional weapons, including any which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects, and its search for agreement, for humanitarian reasons, on possible rules prohibiting or restricting the use of such weapons,

1. Calls upon all parties to armed conflicts to acknowledge and to comply with their obligations under the humanitarian instruments and to observe the international humanitarian rules which are applicable, in particular the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907,[2] the Geneva Protocol of 1925[3] and the Geneva Conventions of 1949;[4]

2. Calls the attention of the Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts, and of the Governments and organizations participating in it, to the need for measures to promote on a universal basis the dissemination of and instruction in the rules of international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflicts;

3. Urges all participants in the Diplomatic Conference to do their utmost to reach agreement on additional rules which may help to alleviate the suffering brought about by armed conflicts and to respect protect non-combatants and civilian objects in such conflicts, and to bring the Conference during its final session in 1977 to a successful conclusion;

4. Expresses its appreciation to the Swiss Federal Council for convoking the fourth session of the Diplomatic Conference from 17 March to 10 June 1977;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-second session on relevant developments concerning human rights in armed conflicts, in particular on the proceedings and results of the 1977 session of the Diplomatic Conference;

6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-second session the item entitled "Respect for human rights in armed conflicts".

77th plenary meeting
24 November 1976

---

[1] A/31/163 and Add.1. [2] A/31/163 and Add. 1. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Hague Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1915). [3] League of Nations, Treaty Series, vol. XCIV, No. 2138, p. 65. [4] United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, Nos. 970-973.