A/HRC/RES/44/9
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
23 July 2020
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-fourth session
30 June–17 July 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 16 July 2020
44/9.
Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors,
and the independence of lawyers
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and by
articles 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2, 4, 9,
14 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and bearing in mind
the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,
Recalling the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, the Basic
Principles on the Role of Lawyers, the Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors, the Bangalore
Principles of Judicial Conduct and the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access
to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems,
Recalling also all previous resolutions and decisions of the Human Rights Council,
the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly on the independence and
impartiality of the judiciary and on the integrity of the judicial system,
Taking note of the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges
and lawyers submitted to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-eighth1 and forty-first2
sessions, and to the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session,3
Convinced that an independent and impartial judiciary, an independent legal
profession, an objective and impartial prosecution able to perform its functions accordingly
and the integrity of the judicial system are prerequisites for the protection of human rights
and the application of the rule of law and for ensuring fair trials and the administration of
justice without any discrimination,
Recalling that prosecutors should, in accordance with the law, perform their functions
fairly, consistently and expeditiously, respect and protect human dignity, and uphold human
rights, thus contributing to due process and the smooth functioning of the criminal justice
1
2
3
A/HRC/38/38 and Add.1.
A/HRC/41/48.
A/74/176.
GE.20-09800(E)