UN Human Rights Treaties

UNITED NATIONS

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General Assembly

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A/C.3/42/L.37 9 November 1987
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

Forty-second session THIRD COMMITTEE Agenda item 105
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES AND WAYS AND MEANS WITHIN THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE ENJOYMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND
FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
Australia, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Yugoslavia! draft resolution
Development of public information activities in the field of human rights
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming that activities to improve public knowledge in the field of human rights are essential to the fulfillment of the purposes of the United Nations as set out in Article 1, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations and that programmes of teaching, education and information are central to the achievement of lasting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Recalling the relevant resolutions on this subject, notably its resolution 41/130 of 4 December 1986 and Commission on Human Rights resolution 1987/39 of 10 March 1987, 1/
Recognizing the catalytic effect of initiatives of the United Nations on national and regional public information activities in the field of human rights,
1/ Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1987, Supplement No. 5 (E/1987/18), chap. II, sect. A.
87-28220 3622Z (E)

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Recognizing also the valuable role that non-governmental organizations can play in these endeavors,
Believing that the fortieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2/ should provide a focus and renewed impetus to the promotional activities of the United Nations system in the field of human rights,
Taking note of the successful United Nations regional training course on human rights teaching held at Bangkok from 14 to 20 October 1987,
1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the development of public information activities in the field of human rights, 3/ and expresses concern that, despite its repeated appeals, these activities continue to be denied adequate resources and priority;
2. Invites all Member States to make special efforts during 1988 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 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights 4/ and other international conventions;
3. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report for presentation to the General Assembly at its forty-third session on the advisability of launching, within existing resources, a World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights in 1989 and to include in the report an outline of planned activities;
4. Reaffirms the need for materials on human rights to be made available in simplified, attractive and accessible form, in an Local and local languages, and for effective use to be made of the mass media, in particular radio and television and audio-visual technologies, in order to reach a wider audience, with priority given to children, other young people and the disadvantaged, including those in isolated areas;
5. Recognizes the need for the United Nations to harmonize its activities in this field with those of other organizations, in particular the International Committee of the Red Cross, with regard to the dissemination of information and education relating to international humanitarian law;
6. Emphasizes the key Cole of the United Nations information centres in the public information programme of the United Nations in the field of human rights, and urges the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat to give special attention to improving the performance and accountability of the centres;
2/ Resolution 217 A (III).
3/ E/CN.4/1987/16 and Add.1-3.
4/ Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.

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7. Renews its request to the Secretary-General to establish, within available resources, collections of basic reference works and United Nations materials at each United Nations information centre by the end of 1988, taking into account the list of basic human rights materials;
8. Invites all relevant elements of the United Nations system, including the specialised agencies and regional commissions, as well as Member States and non-governmental organizations, to facilitate the dissemination of the human rights materials of the United Nations and to improve the co-ordination of their activities in this field?
9. Requests the Secretary-General to finalize the draft teaching booklet on human rights without delay and to draw the attention of Member States to the booklet, which could serve as a broad and flexible framework within which teaching could be structured and developed in accordance with national circumstances)
10. 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;
11. Requests the Secretary-General to complete the task of issuing the personalized version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the six official languages of the United Nations in 1988 and to proceed thereafter, in co-operation with regional organizations and Governments, to the production of this document in national and local languages;
12. Further requests the Secretary-General to invite Member States to nominate national focal points which could be supplied with copies of relevant human rights materials and to publish the list of such focal points in his report to the General Assembly at its forty-third session on the implementation of the present resolution;
13. Renews its request to the Secretary-General to arrange for the reprinting as soon as practicable of the publication entitled Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments; 5/
14. Emphasizes the importance of maintaining adequate stocks of basic human rights materials in New York and Geneva, and expresses its concern about the serious limitations placed on the storage capacity of the United Nations in New York for such documents;
15. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-fourth session on the public presentations, in New York and Geneva, on Human Rights Day in 1987 of a selection of audio-visual and other United
5/ United Nations publication, Sales No. E.83.XIV.1.

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Nations materials in the field of human rights, including an analysis of comments made during the presentations about the future direction of these programmes;
16. Further requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-third session a comprehensive report on the implementation of the present resolution;
17. Decides to continue its consideration of this question at its forty-third session 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".