A/HRC/RES/42/12
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
4 October 2019
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-second session
9–27 September 2019
Agenda item 3
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 26 September 2019
42/12.
The human rights of older persons
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Guided also by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other relevant
human rights instruments,
Reaffirming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,
Bearing in mind the Political Declaration and the Madrid International Plan of
Action on Ageing of 2002, and all other relevant General Assembly resolutions,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 70/164 of 17 December 2015 on measures to
enhance the promotion and protection of the human rights and dignity of older persons, and
Human Rights Council resolutions 21/23 of 28 September 2012, 24/20 of 27 September
2013 and 33/5 of 29 September 2016 on the human rights of older persons,
Recalling also its resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the Human Rights
Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for special procedure mandate holders of the
Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his or her
duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,
Recognizing the importance of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the
enjoyment of all human rights by older persons in raising awareness of the rights of older
persons, and taking note with appreciation of the reports of the Independent Expert 1 and of
the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, 2 which is open to all States Members of the
United Nations, for the purpose of strengthening the protection of the human rights of older
persons,
Acknowledging the efforts of States to determine the best way to strengthen the
protection of the human rights of older persons, and considering the various proposals that
1
2
A/HRC/42/43 and Add.1–2.
A/AC.278/2019/2.
GE.19-17080(E)