A/HRC/RES/45/5
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
12 October 2020
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-fifth session
14 September–7 October 2020
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 6 October 2020
45/5.
Human rights and unilateral coercive measures
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Recalling also all previous resolutions on human rights and unilateral coercive
measures adopted by the Commission on Human Rights, the Human Rights Council and the
General Assembly,
Reaffirming Human Rights Council resolution 43/15 of 22 June 2020 and General
Assembly resolution 74/154 of 18 December 2019,
Stressing that unilateral coercive measures and legislation are contrary to international
law, international humanitarian law, the Charter and the norms and principles governing
peaceful relations among States, in particular during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
pandemic,
Recognizing the universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated character of all
human rights, and in this regard reaffirming the right to development as a universal and
inalienable right and an integral part of all human rights,
Expressing its grave concern at the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures
on human rights, development, international relations, trade, investment and cooperation,
Reaffirming that no State may use or encourage the use of any type of measure,
including but not limited to economic or political measures, to coerce another State in order
to obtain from it the subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights and to secure from
it advantages of any kind,
Recognizing that unilateral coercive measures in the form of economic sanctions have
far-reaching implications for the human rights of the general population of targeted States,
disproportionately affecting the poor and the most vulnerable classes,
Alarmed by the fact that most current unilateral coercive measures have been imposed,
at great cost, in terms of the human rights of the poorest and of the persons in vulnerable
situations, on developing countries by developed countries,
GE.20-13318(E)