A/HRC/RES/48/12
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
18 October 2021
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-eighth session
13 September–11 October 2021
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 8 October 2021
48/12.
Human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international
human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples,
Deeply concerned about the loss of life and livelihoods and the disruption to
economies and societies by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and its negative
impact on the enjoyment of human rights around the world,
Stressing that States bear the primary responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil
human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Recognizing the serious and continuing threat to global health posed by the COVID19 pandemic and that its consequences disproportionately affect the full enjoyment of human
rights and fundamental freedoms by young people, in particular young women and girls,
including with regard to their right to work, right to education and right to the enjoyment of
the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health,
Recalling the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Our Common Agenda”,1 the
report of the Secretary-General, entitled “Shared responsibility, global solidarity: responding
to the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19”, the statement of the Inter-Agency Network on
Youth Development on COVID-19 and youth and the global survey on youth and COVID19, conducted by the International Labour Organization, which recognized that young people
experienced practical difficulties in the exercise of their human rights, including the right to
participate meaningfully in political and public affairs, the right to education, freedom of
1
A/75/982.
GE.21-14964(E)