UN Human Rights Treaties

UNITED NATIONS
E
Economic and Social Council
Distr.
LIMITED
E/1998/L.23
28 July 1998
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Substantive session of 1998
New York, 6-31 July 1998
Agenda item 4
COORDINATION OF THE POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE
SPECIALIZED AGENCIES AND OTHER BODIES OF THE UNITED
NATIONS SYSTEM RELATED TO THE FOLLOWING THEME:
COORDINATED FOLLOW-UP TO AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
VIENNA DECLARATION AND PROGRAMME OF ACTION
Draft agreed conclusions submitted by the Vice-President of
the Council, H.E. Mr. Francesco Paolo Fulci (Italy)
The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action1 affirm that the promotion
and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms must be considered
as a priority objective of the United Nations in accordance with its purposes
and principles, in particular the purpose of international cooperation. In the
framework of these purposes and principles, the promotion and protection of all
human rights is a legitimate concern of the international community. The organs
and specialized agencies related to human rights should further enhance the
coordination of their activities based on the consistent and objective
application of international human rights instruments.
All human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and
interrelated. The international community must treat human rights globally in a
fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis. While
the significance of national and regional particularities and various
historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the
duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to
promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Taking place after the initial discussion on the implementation of the
Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action during the fifty-fourth session of
the Commission on Human Rights, the Economic and Social Council portion of the
five-year review of the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme
1 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.
98-22204 (E) 300798 /...
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of Action is of particular importance to the ongoing efforts of the United
Nations to increase system-wide coordinated follow-up to and implementation of
the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. It will be followed, during the
fifty-third session of the General Assembly, by the overall evaluation of the
implementation of the recommendations adopted by the World Conference on Human
Rights at Vienna.
The Economic and Social Council reaffirms the important role of
non-governmental organizations in the promotion of all human rights and in
humanitarian activities at the national, regional and international levels. The
Council appreciates their contribution to increasing public awareness of human
rights issues, to the conduct of education, training and research in this field,
and to the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental
freedoms.
I. Increased system-wide coordinated follow-up to
and implementation of the Vienna Declaration
and Programme of Action
1. The Economic and Social Council reaffirms the need for increased
coordination in support of human rights and fundamental freedoms within the
United Nations system. To this end, all United Nations organs, bodies and
specialized agencies whose activities deal with human rights shall cooperate in
order to strengthen, rationalize and streamline their activities, taking into
account the need to avoid unnecessary duplication. The Council, reaffirming the
United Nations system-wide approach to human rights, welcomes the fact that
human rights are increasingly being promoted throughout the United Nations
system. The Council calls on all components of the United Nations system to
continue their efforts to increase system-wide coordination and inter-agency
cooperation to promote all human rights, including gender-related aspects, in
their activities. The Council reaffirms the responsibility of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for coordinating human rights
promotion and protection activities throughout the United Nations system and
supports her efforts to promote intra-system cooperation and coordination in
this area, leading to a comprehensive and integrated approach to the promotion
and protection of human rights based on the contribution of each of the United
Nations organs, bodies and specialized agencies whose activities deal with human
rights and on improved inter-agency cooperation and coordination. The Council
calls upon United Nations departments, funds, programmes and specialized
agencies, within their respective mandates, to participate actively in this
process.
2. Inter-agency consultations at the working level organized by the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, with the support of the
Administrative Committee on Coordination, to prepare the fiftieth anniversary of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the five-year review of the
implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, should
continue in the future as a forum for cooperation, covering various aspects of
United Nations human rights activities.
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3. The Council recommends that the interrelationship and interdependence of
democracy, development and respect for all human rights guide the United Nations
Secretariat and other parts of the United Nations system when formulating
policies or implementing programmes and activities in various areas, recognizing
that consideration of economic, social and humanitarian issues would benefit
from a perspective that takes fully into account all human rights.
4. The Council calls upon its functional commissions, as well as the regional
commissions and other organs, bodies and specialized agencies, within their
respective mandates, to take all human rights fully into account in their
respective activities.
5. The Council emphasizes the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach
to the promotion and protection of human rights based on effective coordination
of efforts by United Nations bodies and specialized agencies. The Council
reiterates the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action call for the highlevel
officials of United Nations bodies and agencies, at their annual meeting,
not only to coordinate their activities but also to assess the impact of their
strategies and policies on the enjoyment of all human rights.
6. The Council reaffirms the importance of ensuring the universality,
objectivity and non-selectivity of the consideration of human rights issues.
7. The Council recommends that all components of the United Nations system
active in the field coordinate, within their respective mandates, their projects
in human rights and related areas. They should draw on the expertise of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
8. The Council requests the Secretary-General to continue and strengthen his
efforts to recruit staff for the Secretariat, including staff for the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, with the paramount
consideration being the necessity of securing the highest standards of
efficiency, competence and integrity, and with due regard to the importance of
recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible, bearing in
mind that the principle of equitable geographical distribution is compatible
with the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, as affirmed
by the Commission on Human Rights in its report to the Special Commission of the
Economic and Social Council.2 The Council also stresses the need for the
consideration of gender balance for the recruitment of staff at all levels. The
Council invites States parties to the human rights treaties to give due
consideration to equitable geographical representation and gender balance when
nominating and electing members of the human rights treaty bodies.
9. The Council expresses its support for the system-wide human rights training
of United Nations staff to increase and improve cross-sectoral knowledge and
thus contribute to human rights awareness-building. Components of the United
Nations system are encouraged to cooperate closely in this regard with the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
2 E/CN.4/1988/85 and Corr.1.
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10. The Council recognizes the necessity for the continuing adaptation of the
United Nations human rights machinery to the current and future needs in the
promotion and protection of human rights as reflected in the Vienna Declaration
and Programme of Action. The Council reaffirms the recommendation of the World
Conference on Human Rights that the States parties to international human rights
instruments, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council should
consider studying the existing human rights treaty bodies and the various
thematic mechanisms and procedures, with a view to promoting greater efficiency
and effectiveness through better coordination of the various bodies, mechanisms
and procedures, taking into account the need to avoid unnecessary duplication
and overlapping of their mandates and tasks. The Council takes note of the
ongoing efforts of the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, within their
respective mandates, in this regard.
11. The Council recognizes the need for regular budget resources for the
expanded activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner, in
accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/83.3 In this regard,
the Council reiterates the request of the General Assembly to the Secretary-
General, as contained in Assembly resolution 48/141, to provide appropriate
staff and resources from within the existing and future regular budgets of the
United Nations, to enable the High Commissioner to fulfil her mandate, without
diverting resources from the development programmes and activities of the United
Nations.
II. Democracy - development - human rights and the right to
development and the role of international cooperation
1. The Economic and Social Council calls for consistent affirmation throughout
the United Nations system of the interrelationship and interdependence between
democracy, development and respect for all human rights and fundamental
freedoms. The relationship between democracy, development and human rights
should be taken fully into account in the policies and programmes of the United
Nations system. The international community should support the strengthening
and promotion of democracy, development and respect for all human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the entire world. The Council reaffirms that the right
to development as a universal and inalienable right is an integral part of
fundamental human rights. As stated in the Declaration on the Right to
Development,4 the human person is the central subject of development. The
Council reaffirms the importance of effective international cooperation for the
realization of the right to development and that progress towards the
implementation of the right to development requires effective development
policies at the national level, as well as equitable economic relations and a
favourable economic environment at the international level.
3 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1998, Supplement
No. 3 (E/1998/23).
4 General Assembly resolution 41/128.
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2. The Council urges the relevant components of the United Nations system to
take further steps for the realization of the right to development and recalls
the need for coordination and cooperation throughout the United Nations system
for more effective promotion and realization of the right to development. The
Council recommends to the relevant components of the United Nations system to
enhance cooperation with a view to improving implementation of the right to
development and to cooperate with the independent expert on the right to
development and the working group on the right to development. The Council
invites the Bretton Woods institutions and regional financial institutions to
increase their participation in this process.
3. The Council calls upon the United Nations system to increase its efforts to
eradicate poverty in the framework of its overall efforts to promote all human
rights. The Council calls for continuing focus of the United Nations system on
implementing its agreed conclusions on system-wide efforts for the eradication
of poverty,5 with particular emphasis on extreme poverty, bearing in mind that
anti-poverty strategies contribute to the enjoyment of all human rights. The
existence of widespread extreme poverty inhibits the full and effective
enjoyment of human rights. The Council encourages the United Nations system,
including the Bretton Woods institutions and regional financial institutions, to
increase its efforts in this regard.
4. The Council calls for increased coordination and cooperation throughout the
United Nations system, with a view to supporting national and international
efforts in the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights
within the framework of the indivisibility, interdependence and interrelated
character of all human rights. The Council supports the efforts undertaken by
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote the realization
of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development and to
assist the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in fulfilling its
function. The Council also calls upon components of the United Nations system
to pay increased attention to the decisions of the Council and its functional
commissions in the area of economic, social and cultural rights. The Council
calls upon the components of the United Nations system to support the work of
the mechanisms and procedures in the field of economic, social and cultural
rights.
5. The Council calls upon States to refrain from any unilateral measure not in
accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations that
creates obstacles to trade relations among States and impedes the full
realization of the human rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights6 and international human rights instruments, in particular the rights of
everyone to a standard of living adequate for their health and well-being,
including food and medical care, housing and the necessary social services. The
Council affirms that food should not be used as a tool for political pressure.
5 Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-first Session, Supplement
No. 3, (A/51/3/Rev.1), chap. III, para. 2, agreed conclusions 1996/1.
6 General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).
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6. The Council calls on all parts of the United Nations system to support the
strengthening and promotion of democracy, development and respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms in the entire world. The Council calls upon the
Secretary-General to continue to improve the capacity of the United Nations
system to respond effectively to the requests of Member States through coherent
and adequate support of their efforts to achieve the goals of accountable and
transparent governance and democratization.
7. The Council calls on all States to adopt and vigorously implement existing
conventions relating to the dumping of toxic and dangerous products and waste
and to cooperate in the prevention of illicit dumping.
8. The Council calls upon the international community to make all efforts to
help alleviate the external debt burden of developing countries, in order to
supplement the efforts of the Governments of such countries to attain the full
realization of the economic, social and cultural rights of their people.
III. Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and
related intolerance
1. The Council calls on all relevant components of the United Nations system
to strengthen their contribution to the efforts to eradicate racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Enhanced participation in
the Programme of Action for the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial
Discrimination7 should become the inter-agency tool to achieve improved results
in this area. The Council calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights to continue to coordinate all the activities of the Third Decade to
Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, including through the establishment of
an inter-agency mechanism for coordinating all the activities related to the
Third Decade, in line with General Assembly resolution 52/111.
2. The Council calls on all relevant components of the United Nations system
to assist the preparatory committee and participate actively in the World
Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related
Intolerance, to be held not later than the year 2001, in accordance with General
Assembly resolution 52/111 and Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/26.3
3. The Council encourages the United Nations system to elaborate a
comprehensive approach to the elimination of racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance.
4. The Council recommends to the General Assembly to declare the year 2001 a
year of mobilization against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and
related intolerance aimed at drawing the world’s attention to the objectives of
the World Conference and to give new momentum to the political commitment.
7 General Assembly resolution 49/146.
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IV. Equal status and human rights of women
1. The Council welcomes progress made since the adoption of its agreed
conclusions 1997/2 and calls for their implementation, as the framework of the
comprehensive strategy to mainstream the gender perspective into all aspects of
the work of the United Nations, applying at both the Headquarters and field
levels, including women’s political and economic empowerment.
2. The Council welcomes the conclusions on the human rights of women, adopted
by the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-second session,8 which
together with other conclusions adopted by the Commission, contribute to the
accelerated implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.9
3. The Council calls for special efforts by the United Nations system to
strengthen expertise concerning the equal status and human rights of women. The
Council calls upon all entities of the United Nations system to further
mainstream a gender perspective at all levels. Enhanced cooperation between the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Division
for the Advancement of Women, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the
United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement
of Women, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Population
Fund should be pursued. The Council welcomes the growing interaction between
the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights,
including the holding of an interactive dialogue on the human rights of women,
during the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on Human Rights.
4. The Council emphasizes the importance of providing training in the human
rights of women and gender mainstreaming to all United Nations personnel and
officials at Headquarters and in the field, so that they recognize and deal with
violations of the human rights of women and can fully integrate gender
considerations into their work.
5. The Council encourages United Nations bodies and agencies to increase
cooperation with other organizations in developing activities to address, within
their respective mandates, violations of the human rights of women and to
promote the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by
women, including developing activities with other organizations, such as the
International Organization for Migration, against trafficking in women and
children, for purposes of sexual exploitation, including the exploitation of
prostitution of women and girls. The Council welcomes the activities of many
parts of the United Nations system to eradicate harmful traditional practices
against women and girls and encourages continued coordination between them.
8 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1998, Supplement
No. 7, (E/1998/27), chap. I, sect. B.
9 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing,
4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I,
resolution 1, annex II.
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6. The Council recommends to the General Assembly and requests the Commission
on Human Rights to make explicit the integration of a gender perspective when
establishing or renewing human rights mandates.
7. The Council encourages the human rights treaty bodies to continue and
increase consideration of the status and human rights of women in their
deliberations and findings and to promote a better understanding of the rights
contained in international human rights instruments and their particular
significance to women. The Council encourages the human rights treaty bodies to
include the gender factor in monitoring the implementation of international
human rights instruments. The Council encourages the strengthening of
coordination between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women and the other human right treaty bodies and encourages the human rights
treaty bodies to coordinate their activities for monitoring the full enjoyment
by women of their human rights.
8. The Council welcomes the efforts of the United Nations to encourage the
goal of universal ratification by all States of the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women10 by the year 2000 and
encourages further steps for the achievement of this goal. The Council takes
note of the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women in reviewing the reservations to the Convention and urges States to
withdraw reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the
Convention or that are otherwise incompatible with international treaty law.
V. Those requiring special protection
The Council requests all components of the United Nations system to
undertake, in close coordination and cooperation with one another, an assessment
of the impact of their strategies and policies on the enjoyment of human rights
by those requiring special protection.
1. The Council stresses the importance of efforts by concerned United Nations
organs, bodies, and specialized agencies for the promotion and protection of the
rights of the child and recognizes that inter-agency cooperation in this respect
is yielding positive results. The Council supports the rights-based approach
adopted by the United Nations Children’s Fund and encourages its further
development. Greater international cooperation and further development of joint
and/or coordinated efforts, as well as the involvement of all components of the
United Nations system in the protection of the rights of the child, should be
encouraged.
2. The Council requests that human rights and humanitarian concerns relating
to children affected by armed conflict and their protection be fully reflected
in all United Nations activities, including peacekeeping and peace-building
activities, and in this regard, requests the relevant United Nations bodies and
specialized agencies, as well as the Committee on the Rights of the Child and
10 General Assembly resolution 34/180, annex.
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other component bodies, to enhance their cooperation with the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict.
3. The Council further requests the United Nations organs, bodies and
specialized agencies to continue to address the exploitation and abuse of
children, including female infanticide, harmful child labour, harmful
traditional practices against the girl child, the sale of children and organs,
child prostitution and child pornography, as well as other forms of sexual
abuse.
4. The Council welcomes the positive results of the cooperation between the
Committee on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
5. The Council reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations to continuing
its efforts in encouraging the achievement of the goal of universal ratification
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, established by the World Summit
for Children and reiterated in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.
6. The Council encourages relevant components of the United Nations system,
within their mandates, as appropriate, to facilitate the negotiating process of
the draft United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples by the
working group of the Commission on Human Rights, including through workshops and
seminars, as well as consideration of proposals for the possible establishment
of a permanent forum for indigenous people within the United Nations system, to
be discussed in the open-ended inter-sessional ad hoc working group of the
Commission on Human Rights. The Council further encourages Member States to
consider an early ratification of International Labour Organization Convention
No. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in independent countries.
7. The Council requests the United Nations Development Programme and other
components of the United Nations system, in cooperation with the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights as Coordinator of the International Decade of
the World’s Indigenous People, to ensure that their programmes address the
rights of indigenous people. The Council encourages Member States to contribute
to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations, established for
projects related to the Decade. The Council encourages United Nations agencies,
funds and programmes, in cooperation with Member States, to support the
activities of the Decade, including through consideration of small grants for
projects carried out by indigenous people.
8. The Council urges States and the international community to promote and
protect the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities, in accordance with the Declaration on the Rights of
Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.11
The Council welcomes the inter-agency consultations of the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with United Nations programmes and
agencies on minority issues. The Council further endorses the continuation of
inter-agency consultations on minority issues with a view to enhancing the
exchange of information, including through the Working Group on Minorities of
11 General Assembly resolution 47/135.
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the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities,
and ensuring increased participation of minorities in programmes and projects
that affect them.
9. The Council further encourages Member States to consider early ratification
of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of Their Families,12 which has not yet entered into force
owing to the insufficient number of ratifications.
10. The Council encourages its subsidiary bodies and other relevant components
of the United Nations system to enhance their contribution in the promotion and
protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and to ensure that their
programmes address the needs of persons with disabilities. Furthermore, the
Council calls upon the United Nations system and, in particular, its funds,
programmes and specialized agencies to integrate the rights of persons with
disabilities into all their activities, including through inter-agency
consultations on disability issues with a view to enhancing the exchange of
information, and ensuring increased participation of persons with disabilities
in the programmes and projects that affect them. The Council welcomes the
interaction between the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for
Social Development with the Commission on Human Rights and the Committee on the
Rights of the Child. The Council also encourages the Division for Social Policy
and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United
Nations Secretariat to enhance the promotion of the World Programme of Action
concerning Disabled Persons13 and to assist Governments, at their request, in
the implementation of national standards for their protection.
11. The Council calls on relevant components of the United Nations to
strengthen efforts to develop a comprehensive approach to the problems of
refugees that includes the development of strategies to address the root causes
and effects of the movement of refugees, and to strengthen emergency
preparedness and response mechanisms and protection and assistance for refugees,
particularly women and children. The Council stresses the need to search for
durable solutions to the problems of refugees primarily through the preferred
solution of dignified and safe voluntary repatriation, including solutions such
as those adopted by the international refugee conferences. In this regard, the
Council stresses the need to ensure international cooperation in the spirit of
international solidarity and burden sharing, bearing in mind the relevant
international instruments, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights,6 the 1951 Convention14 and the 1967 Protocol15 relating to the Status of
Refugees. The Council calls upon all States to support the work of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in order to ensure that the needs of
12 General Assembly resolution 45/158.
13 General Assembly resolution 37/52.
14 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 189, No. 2545.
15 Ibid., vol. 606, No. 8791.
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refugees, returnees and displaced persons of concern to the Office of the High
Commissioner are fully met.
12. The Council commends the Representative of the Secretary-General for his
efforts to promote a comprehensive strategy that focuses on prevention, as well
as better protection, assistance and development for internally displaced
persons and, in this regard, notes the progress achieved to date in developing a
legal framework. The Council notes with satisfaction the designation of the
Emergency Relief Coordinator as the focal point for inter-agency coordination of
humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons. The Council encourages
all relevant humanitarian assistance and development organizations to enhance
their collaboration by developing frameworks of cooperation to promote
protection, assistance and development for internally displaced persons.
13. The Council calls upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, the Joint and Co-sponsored United Nations Programme on Human
Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and its
co-sponsors to provide technical assistance to States, upon their request, for
the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of HIV/AIDS.
VI. Technical cooperation, human rights education and information
1. The Council welcomes the increasing number of requests from Member States
for technical assistance in the field of human rights undertaken by the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other parts of the
United Nations system, within their respective mandates. The Council reaffirms
that advisory services and technical assistance in the field of human rights,
which shall be provided upon the request of the State concerned, require close
cooperation and coordination between United Nations bodies and all specialized
agencies active in the field so as to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency
of their respective programmes and to promote all human rights. This
cooperation shall be based on the respective comparative advantages for the
provision of technical assistance in the field of human rights. The Council
reaffirms that cooperation should be based on dialogue and transparency,
involving all relevant actors.
2. The Council reiterates that special emphasis should be given to measures to
assist in the strengthening and building of institutions relating to human
rights, the strengthening of a pluralistic civil society and the protection of
groups that have been rendered vulnerable. In this context, assistance provided
upon the request of Governments for the conduct of free and fair elections,
including assistance in the human rights aspects of elections and public
information about elections, is of particular importance. Equally important is
the assistance to be given to the strengthening of the rule of law, the
promotion of freedom of expression and the administration of justice, and to the
real and effective participation of the people in the decision-making processes.
3. The Council reiterates the recommendation of the World Conference
concerning the assignment of human rights officers to regional offices of the
United Nations to assist in the dissemination of information, training and other
technical assistance in the field of human rights. The Council takes note with
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interest of the experiences of those countries where, upon the request of
Governments concerned, human rights officers are becoming an integral part of
United Nations country teams to provide input in the formulation and
implementation of their respective programmes.
4. The Council encourages the human rights treaty bodies, special rapporteurs
and special representatives as well as working groups, to continue to identify
possibilities for technical assistance that could be provided at the request of
the State concerned.
5. The Council welcomes the important work being done by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Department of Public
Information of the United Nations Secretariat and the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the implementation of the United
Nations Decade for Human Rights Education and calls for renewed system-wide
efforts to strengthen the contribution to the implementation of the goals of the
Decade by allocating appropriate human and financial resources.
6. The Council encourages relevant departments of the Secretariat and other
components of the United Nations system, as provided for by the Plan of Action
for the Decade,16 to designate a human rights education liaison officer to work
with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the
development of educational activities relating to human rights in the area of
their competence.
7. The Council recommends that the General Assembly reiterate its full support
for the World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights proclaimed in 1988 and
allocate adequate resources for its effective performance, and calls upon the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to coordinate
the substantive aspects of the campaign.
VII. Implementation
1. The Council urges Governments to incorporate in their domestic legislation
standards as contained in international human rights instruments and to
strengthen national structures, institutions and organs of society which play a
role in promoting and safeguarding human rights. The Council affirms that
relevant specialized agencies and bodies and institutions of the United Nations
system, as well as other relevant intergovernmental organizations whose
activities deal with human rights, play a vital role in the formulation,
promotion and implementation of human rights standards, within their respective
mandates.
2. The Council supports the efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights to encourage the ratification of all international human rights
treaties by all States during the next five years, as a means to achieve the
goal of universal ratification of international human rights treaties and
protocols adopted within the framework of the United Nations system. The Office
16 A/49/261/Add.1-E/1994/110/Add.1, annex.
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of the High Commissioner and other components of the United Nations system
should provide assistance, upon request and within their respective mandates, to
Governments in the process of ratifying such instruments and the preparation of
initial reports. The Council calls on the Secretary-General and the High
Commissioner to disseminate information on the work of the human rights treaty
bodies.
3. The Council welcomes the contribution to the work of the human rights
treaty bodies made by the specialized agencies and United Nations bodies, and
encourages the specialized agencies and United Nations bodies, the Office of the
High Commissioner and the persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies to
continue to explore specific measures to intensify the cooperation among them,
and also encourages, in this context, meetings of the persons chairing the human
rights treaty bodies to invite, when appropriate, senior representatives of the
specialized agencies and United Nations bodies to attend their meeting.
4. The Council reiterates the important role of the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in coordinating system-wide attention
for human rights. In this context, the Council calls on relevant components of
the United Nations system to increase cooperation with the Office of the High
Commissioner. The Council encourages the High Commissioner, within her mandate
as set out in General Assembly resolution 48/141, to continue to play an active
role in promoting and protecting human rights, including by preventing human
rights violations throughout the world. The Council notes with interest the
increase in the number of human rights field operations throughout the world and
encourages the High Commissioner to consider their further improvement in
cooperation with other relevant components of the United Nations system.
5. The Council recommends that each State consider the desirability of drawing
up a national plan of action identifying steps whereby that State would improve
the promotion and protection of human rights. In this regard, the Council
encourages the relevant components of the United Nations system to provide
assistance at the request of Member States for the adoption and implementation
of national plans of action in the field of human rights.
VIII. Interaction between implementation of the Vienna Declaration
and Programme of Action and outcomes of other United Nations
conferences and summits
The Council reiterates that the implementation of the Vienna Declaration
and Programme of Action is an integral part of the coordinated follow-up to
major conferences and summits convened by the United Nations. The Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action, together with outcomes of the other major
conferences and summits organized by the United Nations, shall be further
integrated into the programme of work of all organizations of the United Nations
system.
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