Regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian and Pacific region : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

The General Assembly,

Recalling its previous resolutions, in particular resolution 43/140 of 8 December 1988, on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Asian and Pacific region,

Recognizing that regional arrangements make a major contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and that non-governmental organizations may have a valuable role to play in this process,

Bearing in mind that intergovernmental arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights have been established in other regions,

Reiterating its appreciation for the report of the Seminar on National, Local and Regional Arrangements for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asian Region, held at Colombo from 21 June to 2 July 1982, the comments on the report of the Seminar received from the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and from States members of the Commission, and the report of the Secretary-General on the training course on human rights teaching held at Bangkok from 12 to 23 October 1987 under the United Nations programme of advisory services in the field of human rights,

Noting the designation of the Social Development Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific as a regional focal point on human rights,

Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolution 1989/50 of 7 March 1989 and taking note of Commission resolution 1990/71 of 7 March 1990,

1.         Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

2.         Welcomes the designation of the library of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific as a depository centre for United Nations human rights materials within the Commission at Bangkok, the functions of which would include the collection, processing and dissemination of such materials in the Asian and Pacific region;

3.         Renews its invitation to States members of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific that have not yet done so to communicate to the Secretary-General as soon as possible their comments on the report of the Seminar on National, Local and Regional Arrangements for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asian Region and, in particular, to address themselves to the conclusions and recommendations in the report concerning the development of regional arrangements in Asia and the Pacific;

4.         Requests the Secretary-General to ensure a continuing flow of human rights material to the library of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at Bangkok for appropriate dissemination in the region;

5.         Notes the efforts of United Nations development agencies in the Asian and Pacific region to promote the human rights dimension more actively and systematically in their development activities;

6.         Encourages United Nations development agencies in the Asian and Pacific region to co-ordinate with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific their efforts to promote the human rights dimension in their activities;

7.         Notes that an Asia-Pacific workshop on international human rights issues, including regional and national institutions and arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights, was held at Manila from 7 to 11 May 1990, within the framework of the advisory services and technical assistance programme and the World Public Information Campaign for Human Rights;

8.         Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session, through the Economic and Social Council, incorporating information on progress achieved in the implementation of the present resolution;

9.         Decides to continue its consideration of the question at its forty-seventh session.