National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights.

33. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED WITHOUT REFERENCE TO A MAIN COMMITTEE
46. National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 32/123 of 16 December 1977 on the observance of the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which it suggested that a special seminar within the programme of advisory services should be organized in 1978 at Geneva, at a world-wide level, on the subject of national and local institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolution 23 (XXXIV) of 8 March 1978[1] in which the Commission decided that the seminar on national and local institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, to be held in September 1978, should, as a part of its task, suggest certain possible guidelines for the structure and functioning of national institutions, based on the provisions of that resolution and the annex thereto,

1. Takes note with appreciation of the report on the Seminar on National and Local Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights,[2] which took place at Geneva from 18 to 29 September 1978;

2. Requests Member States to comment on the guidelines for the structure and functioning of national institutions, as suggested by the Seminar and circulated by the Secretary-General in accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 23 (XXXIV);

3. Invites Member States to communicate their comments to the Secretary-General, together with all relevant information relating to their own experience in the functioning of national and local institutions in the field of human rights, before the thirty-fifth session of the Commission on Human Rights;

4. Requests the Commission on Human Rights to consider the guidelines suggested by the Seminar in its report for the structure and functioning of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights;

5. Further requests the Commission on Human Rights to send its recommendations in this regard to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session, through the Economic and Social Council, which could then be made available to Governments of Member States for their assistance in setting up national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the participation of Member States in seminars organized at a world-wide level is based on the principle of equitable geographical representation;

7. Also requests the Secretary-General to transmit the present resolution to all Member States, drawing their attention to paragraphs 2 and 3 above.

83rd plenary meeting
14 December 1978

---

[1] See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1978, Supplement No. 4 (E/1978/34), chap XXVI, sect. A. [2] ST/HR/SER.A/2 and Add.1.