UN Human Rights Treaties

General Assembly—Fifth Session

Considering, moreover, that the last meeting of the Sub-Commission was held in January 1950,
Resolves to invite the Economic and Social Council to reconsider its resolution 336 (XI) of 16 August 1950, with a view to including in its calendar of con¬ferences for 1951 a session of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.
314lh plenary meeting, 1 December 1950.
420 (V). Report of the Economic and Social Council (Chapter V, section VII, part 2) :5 proposal for a session in 1951 of the Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and of the Press
The General Assembly,
Considering it desirable that the Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and of the Press should con¬tinue the study of the agenda items" referred to it by the Economic and Social Council for consideration,
Resolves to invite the Economic and Social Council to reconsider its resolution 336 (XI) of 16 August 1950, with a view to including in its calendar of con¬ferences for 1951 a session of the Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and of the Press.
314th plenary meeting, 1 December 1950.
421 (V). Draft International Covenant on Human Rights and measures of implemen¬
tation : future work of the Commission on Human Rights
The General Assembly,
Appreciating the priority which, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 217 (III), the Commis-sion on Human Rights during its 1949 and 1950 ses¬sions gave to the preparation of a draft International Covenant on Human Rights and measures for its im¬plementation,
Noting the decision7 of the Economic and Social Council at its eleventh session to transmit the draft Covenant together with the relevant documentation and records of the discussion in the Council to the General Assembly at its fifth session for consideration with a view to reaching policy decisions on the points listed in Economic and Social Council resolution 303 I (XI),
Considering it essential that the Covenant should include provisions rendering it obligatory for States to promote the implementation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Covenant and to take the necessary steps, including legislation, to guarantee to everyone the real opportunity of enjoying those rights and freedoms,
5 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifth Ses¬sion, Supplement No. 3, page 66.
6 See Economic and Social Council resolution 197 (VIII) and document E/1369-E/CN.4/Sub.l/98/Rev.l.
See Economic and Social Council resolution 303 I (XI).

Having considered the draft Covenant prepared by the Commission on Human Rights, particularly with reference to certain basic policies,
A
1. Commends the Commission on Human Rights for the important work it has thus far accomplished:
2. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to continue to give priority in its work to the completion of the draft Covenant and measures for its implementation in order that the General Assembly may have before it at its sixth session the revised draft of this Covenant;
B
3. Considers:
(a) That the list of rights in the first eighteen articles of the draft Covenant does not contain cer¬tain of the most elementary rights;
(b) That the present wording of some of the first eighteen articles of the draft Covenant should be im-proved in order to protect more effectively the rights to which they refer;
(c) That in the drafting of the Covenant account should be taken of the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations and that these Purposes and Principles should be consistently ap¬plied and assiduously protected;
4. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to take
into consideration in its work of revision of the draft Covenant:
(i) The views expressed during the discussion of the draft Covenant at the fifth session of the General Assembly and at the eleventh session of the Economic and Social Council, including those relating to articles 13 and 14 of the draft Covenant and, with a view to the addition in the draft Covenant of other rights, those relating to the rights set forth by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in document A/C.3/L.96 and Yugoslavia in document A/C.3/L.92;
(ii) The view, expressed during the discussion of the draft Covenant at the fifth session of the General Assembly and at the eleventh session of the Eco¬nomic and Social Council, that it is desirable to define the rights set forth in the Covenant and the limita¬tions thereto with the greatest possible precision ;
C
5. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to study
a federal State article and to prepare, for the con¬ sideration of the General Assembly at its sixth ses¬
sion, recommendations which will have as their pur¬pose the securing of the maximum extension of the
Covenant to the constituent units of federal States, and the meeting of the constitutional problems of
federal States;

Resolutions adopted on reports of the Third Committee

6. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to study
ways and means which would ensure the right of peoples and nations to self-determination, and to pre¬
pare recommendations for consideration by the Gen¬eral Assembly at its sixth session;
E
Whereas the Covenant should be drawn up in the spirit and based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
Whereas the Universal Declaration regards man as a person, to whom civic and political freedoms as well as economic, social and cultural rights indu¬bitably belong,
Whereas the enjoyment of civic and political free¬doms and of economic, social and cultural rights are interconnected and interdependent,
Whereas, when deprived of economic, social and cultural rights, man does not represent the human person whom the Universal Declaration regards as the ideal of the free man,
7. (a) Decides to include in the Covenant on Hu¬man Rights economic, social and cultural rights and
an explicit recognition of equality of men and women in related rights, as set forth in the Charter of the
United Nations;
(b) Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights, in ac-cordance with the spirit of the Universal Declaration, to include in the draft Covenant a clear expression of economic, social and cultural rights in a manner which relates them to the civic and political freedoms proclaimed by the draft Covenant;
(c) Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to take such steps as are necessary to obtain the co-opera¬tion of other organs of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies in the consideration of such rights;
(d) Requests the Economic and Social Council to consider, at its twelfth session, the methods by which the specialized agencies might co-operate with the Commission on Human Rights with regard to eco¬nomic, social and cultural rights;
F
8. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to proceed
with the consideration of provisions, to be inserted in the draft Covenant or in separate protocols, for
the receipt and examination of petitions from indi¬viduals and organizations with respect to alleged
violations of the Covenant; and to take into consider¬ ation in its studies of questions relating to petitions
and implementation the proposals presented by Chile (A/C.3/L.81), Ethiopia and France (A/C.3/L.78),
Israel (A/C3/L.91/Rev.l) and Uruguay (A/C.3/L.93);

9. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to report
to the Economic and Social Council at its thirteenth session concerning the above matters;
H
10. Requests the Secretary-General to invite Member States to submit, by 15 February 1951, their
views concerning the draft Covenant as revised by the Commission on Human Rights at its sixth ses¬sion, in order that the Commission may have such views before it during its further consideration of the draft Covenant at its seventh session.
317th plenary meeting, 4 December 1950.
422 (V). Territorial application of the Inter¬national Covenant on Human Rights
The General Assembly
Requests the Commission on Human Rights to in¬clude the following article in the International Cove¬nant on Human Rights:
"Article
"The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to or be applicable equally to a signatory metropolitan State and to all the territories, be they Non-Self-Governing, Trust or Colonial Territories, which are being administered or governed by such metropolitan State".
317th plenary meeting, 4 December 1950.
423 (V). Human Rights Day
The General Assembly,
Considering that on 10 December 1948 the General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations,
Considering that the Declaration marks a distinct forward step in the march of human progress,
Considering that the anniversary of this event should be appropriately celebrated in all countries as part of a common effort to bring the Declaration to the attention of the peoples of the world,
Expressing its appreciation to all those countries Members or non-members of the United Nations which have already celebrated this anniversary,
1. Invites all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day, to observe this day to celebrate the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly on 10 December 1948, and to exert increasing efforts in this field of human progress.
2. Invites all States to report annually through the Secretary-General concerning the observance of Human Rights Day.
317th plenary meeting, 4 December 1950.