A/HRC/RES/37/17
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
9 April 2018
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Thirty-seventh session
26 February–23 March 2018
Agenda item 3
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 22 March 2018
37/17.
Cultural rights and the protection of cultural heritage
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action, the Declaration on the Right to Development and all relevant
international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and
reaffirming the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined therein,
Recalling also General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, by which the
Assembly established the Human Rights Council and in which it stated that all human
rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and
must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same
emphasis,
Recalling further Human Rights Council resolution 33/20 of 30 September 2016,
Convinced that damage to cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, of any
people constitutes damage to the cultural heritage of humanity as a whole,
Recognizing that the duty of ensuring the identification, protection, conservation,
presentation and transmission to future generations of cultural heritage belongs primarily to
the State on whose territory it is situated,
Noting that the destruction of or damage to cultural heritage may have a detrimental
and irreversible impact on the enjoyment of cultural rights, in particular the right of
everyone to take part in cultural life, including the ability to access and enjoy cultural
heritage,
Reaffirming that safeguarding the enjoyment of cultural rights may form a crucial
part of the response to many current global challenges, including to the scourge of
terrorism,
Reaffirming also that addressing the destruction of tangible and intangible cultural
heritage needs to be holistic, encompassing all regions, contemplating both prevention and
GE.18-05523(E)