A/HRC/RES/50/15
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
15 July 2022
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fiftieth session
13 June–8 July 2022
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 8 July 2022
50/15.
Freedom of opinion and expression
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Recalling all resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights
Council relevant to the right to freedom of opinion and expression, in particular Council
resolutions 7/36 of 28 March 2008, 12/16 of 12 October 2009, 16/4 of 24 March 2011, 23/2
of 13 June 2013, 25/2 of 27 March 2014, 34/18 of 24 March 2017, 38/7 of 5 July 2018 , 38/5
of 5 July 2018, 39/6 of 27 September 2018, 43/4 of 19 June 2020, 44/12 of 16 July 2020,
47/16 of 13 July 2021, 48/4 of 7 October 2021 and 49/21 of 1 April 2022,
Welcoming the work of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the
right to freedom of opinion and expression, and taking note of her reports, 1
Reaffirming that the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom
to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either
orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art or through any other media, is a human right
guaranteed to all, in accordance with article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that it constitutes one of the
essential foundations of democratic societies and for sustainable development, including the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and that it is critical to combating corruption and
disinformation, strengthening democracy, the rule of law and good governance, and that the
effective exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression is an important indicator
of the level of protection of other human rights and freedoms, and bearing in mind that all
human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, both online and
offline,
Recalling that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it special
duties and responsibilities, in accordance with article 19 (3) of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights,
Acknowledging the essential role of, inter alia, journalists and other media workers,
and human rights defenders, in the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of
opinion and expression, and in this context expressing deep concern that violations and
1
A/HRC/50/29 and Add.1.
GE.22-11089(E)