A/HRC/RES/18/4
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
13 October 2011
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Eighteenth session
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*
18/4
The use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights
and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to selfdetermination
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling all previous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the Human
Rights Council and the Commission on Human Rights on the subject, including Assembly
resolution 64/151 of 18 December 2009 and Council resolutions 10/11 of 26 March 2009,
15/12 of 30 September 2010 and 15/26 of 1 October 2010,
Recalling also all relevant resolutions that, inter alia, condemn any State that permits
or tolerates the recruitment, financing, training, assembly, transit or use of mercenaries with
the objective of overthrowing the Governments of States Members of the United Nations,
especially those of developing countries, or of fighting against national liberation
movements, and recalling further the relevant resolutions and international instruments
adopted by the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council,
the African Union and the Organization of African Unity, inter alia, the Organization of
African Unity Convention for the elimination of mercenarism in Africa,
Reaffirming the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United
Nations concerning the strict observance of the principles of sovereign equality, political
independence, the territorial integrity of States, the self-determination of peoples, the nonuse of force or threat of use of force in international relations and non-interference in affairs
within the domestic jurisdiction of States,
*
GE.11-16612
The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of
the Council on its eighteenth session (A/HRC/18/2), chap. I.