Development of public information activities in the field of human rights : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

  • Author: UN General Assembly (44th sess. : 1989-1990)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    8 December 1989

The General Assembly,

Reaffirming that activities to improve public knowledge in the field of human rights are essential to the fulfilment of the 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 the relevant resolutions on this subject, in particular its resolution 43/128 of 8 December 1988, and taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1989/53 of 7 March 1989,

Recognizing the catalytic effect of initiatives of the United Nations on national and regional public information activities in the field of human rights,

Recognizing also the valuable role that non-governmental organizations can play in those endeavours,

Believing that the World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights is a valuable complement to the activities of the United Nations further to promote and to protect human rights world wide,

1.         Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the development of public information activities in the field of human rights;

2.         Reaffirms the need for information materials on human rights to be carefully designed in clear and accessible form, to be tailored to regional and national requirements and circumstances with specific target audiences in mind and to be effectively disseminated in national and local languages and in sufficient volume to have the desired impact, and for effective use also to be made of the mass media, in particular radio and television and audio-visual technologies, in order to reach wider audiences, with priority being given to children, other young people and the disadvantaged, including those in isolated areas;

3.         Appreciates the measures taken by the Secretariat to update, increase stocks and extend the language versions of human rights information materials, especially those on the basic United Nations human rights instruments and institutions, and, in that regard, urges the Secretariat to take measures to ensure the further production and effective dissemination of such documents in national and local languages, in co-operation with regional, national and local organizations as well as with Governments, making full and effective use of the United Nations information centres;

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

5.         Urges all Member States to include in their educational curricula materials relevant to a comprehensive understanding of human rights issues and encourages all those responsible for training in law and its enforcement, the armed forces, medicine, diplomacy and other relevant fields to include appropriate human rights components in their programmes;

6.         Requests the Secretary-General to draw the attention of Member States to the teaching booklet on human rights, which could serve as a broad and flexible framework adaptable to national circumstances for the structuring and development of the teaching of human rights;

7.         Notes the special value, under the advisory services and technical assistance programme, of regional and national training courses and workshops, in co-operation with Governments, regional and national organizations and non-governmental organizations, in promoting practical education and awareness in the field of human rights, and welcomes the priority given to the organization of such activities by the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat;

8.         Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the fullest effective deployment of the skills and resources of all concerned units of the Secretariat and to make available, within existing resources, and in particular from the budget of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, adequate funding for developing practical and effective human rights information activities, including those within the programme of the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights;

9.         Calls upon the Centre for Human Rights, which has primary responsibility within the United Nations system in the field of human rights, to co-ordinate the substantive activities of the World Campaign pursuant to the direction of the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights, and to serve as liaison with Governments, regional and national institutions, non-governmental organizations and concerned individuals in the development and implementation of the activities of the World Campaign;

10.       Calls upon the Department of Public Information, which has primary responsibility for public information activities, to co-ordinate the public information activities of the World Campaign and, in its responsibility as secretariat to the Joint United Nations Information Committee, to promote co-ordinated system-wide information activities in the field of human rights;

11.       Stresses the need for close co-operation between the Centre for Human Rights and the Department of Public Information, inter alia, in the implementation of the aims established for the World Campaign and the need for the United Nations to harmonize its activities in the field of human rights with those of other organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, with regard to the dissemination of information on international humanitarian law, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, with regard to education for human rights;

12.       Requests the Secretariat, in the implementation of the World Campaign, to take advantage, as much as possible, of the collaboration of non-governmental organizations for, inter alia, the dissemination of human rights material, with a view to increasing universal awareness of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

13.       Requests the Commission on Human Rights, at its forty-sixth session, on the basis of the report of the Secretary-General, to give priority consideration to this question with a view to providing appropriate guidance on the aims and activities of the World Campaign;

14.       Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session a comprehensive report on the implementation of the present resolution for consideration under the item entitled "Alternative approaches and ways and means within the United Nations system for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms".

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