United Nations
A/RES/59/192
General Assembly
Distr.: General
18 March 2005
Fifty-ninth session
Agenda item 105 (b)
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 2004
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/59/503/Add.2)]
59/192. Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals,
Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect
Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 53/144 of 9 December 1998, by which it adopted by
consensus the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups
and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms annexed to that resolution, and reiterating the
importance of the Declaration and its wide dissemination,
Recalling also all previous resolutions on this subject, in particular its
resolution 58/178 of 22 December 2003 and Commission on Human Rights
resolution 2004/68 of 21 April 2004, 1
Noting with deep concern that, in many countries, persons and organizations
engaged in promoting and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms are
facing threats, harassment and insecurity as a result of those activities,
Gravely concerned by the continuing high level of human rights violations
committed against persons engaged in promoting and defending human rights and
fundamental freedoms around the world and by the fact that, in a number of
countries in all regions of the world, impunity for threats, attacks and acts of
intimidation against human rights defenders persists and that this has a negative
impact on their work and safety,
Recalling that human rights defenders are entitled to equal protection of the
law, and deeply concerned about any abuse of civil or criminal proceedings against
them because of their activities for the promotion and protection of human rights
and fundamental freedoms,
Concerned by the considerable number of communications received by the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights
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1
See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2004, Supplement No. 3 (E/2004/23), chap. II,
sect. A.
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