A/HRC/RES/46/23 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 30 March 2021 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-sixth session 22 February–24 March 2021 Agenda item 4 Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 24 March 2021 46/23. Situation of human rights in South Sudan 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 African Charter on Human and Peoplesʼ Rights and relevant human rights treaties, Reaffirming that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 34/25 of 24 March 2017, 37/31 of 23 March 2018, 40/19 of 22 March 2019 and 43/27 of 22 June 2020, the twenty-sixth special session of the Council, including its resolution S-26/1 of 14 December 2016, and its resolution 31/20 of 23 March 2016, in which the Council established the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, and all other previous Human Rights Council and Security Council resolutions and President’s statements on South Sudan, Noting all relevant decisions and communiqués of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the communiqués of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union of 14 November 2019 and 27 January 2020, in which the Peace and Security Council, inter alia, re-emphasized its request to the Government of South Sudan and the African Union Commission to accelerate the establishment of all transitional justice mechanisms as provided for in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, including the hybrid court for South Sudan, the commission for truth, reconciliation and healing and the compensation and reparation authority, Emphasizing that States have the primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights, and recalling that the Government of South Sudan has the responsibility to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, Emphasizing also the importance of good governance and the rule of law as key elements of conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and stressing that the Government of South Sudan should respect and protect freedom of expression, of peaceful assembly and of association, and take measures to prevent attacks on and the harassment of journalists, media workers, civil society groups and human rights GE.21-04205(E)