A/RES/57/220 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 27 February 2003 Fifty-seventh session Agenda item 109 (b) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [on the report of the Third Committee (A/57/556/Add.2 and Corr.1-3)] 57/220. Hostage-taking The General Assembly, Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming also its relevant resolutions and Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001, Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1 which guarantees the right to life, liberty and security of person, freedom from torture or degrading treatment, freedom of movement and protection from arbitrary detention, Recalling also the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 25 June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights, 2 Taking into account the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 34/146 of 17 December 1979, which recognizes that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person and that the taking of hostages is an offence of grave concern to the international community, as well as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 3166 (XXVIII) of 14 December 1973, Bearing in mind the relevant Security Council resolutions condemning all cases of hostage-taking, in particular resolution 1440 (2002) of 24 October 2002, Recalling all relevant resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights on the subject, Concerned that, despite the efforts of the international community, acts of hostage-taking in different forms and manifestations, inter alia, those committed by terrorists and armed groups, continue to take place and have even increased in many regions of the world, _______________ 1 2 02 55370 Resolution 217 A (III). A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.