A/HRC/RES/37/26
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
6 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 23 March 2018
37/26.
Prevention of genocide
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,
and other relevant international instruments,
Recalling its resolutions 7/25 of 28 March 2008, 22/22 of 22 March 2013 and 28/34
of 27 March 2015 on the prevention of genocide,
Considering that the seventieth anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted on 9 December 1948 and succeeded by the
adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the next day, provides an
important opportunity for Member States and the international community to reaffirm the
significance of the Convention and to continue their efforts to prevent and punish the crime
of genocide,
Emphasizing that the crime of genocide is recognized in the Convention as an
odious scourge that has inflicted great losses on humanity, and that further international
cooperation is required to facilitate the timely prevention and punishment of the crime of
genocide,
Deeply concerned about the occurrence in recent history of genocide, recognized as
such by the international community, on the basis of and as defined in the Convention, and
bearing in mind that massive, serious and systematic violations of human rights and
international humanitarian law might result in genocide,
Taking into consideration the fact that States parties to the Convention on the NonApplicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity of 26
November 1968 have agreed that no statutory limitation shall apply to such crimes,
including the crime of genocide, irrespective of the date of their commission,
Affirming that impunity for the crime of genocide, war crimes and crimes against
humanity encourages their occurrence and is a fundamental obstacle to the furtherance of
cooperation among peoples and the promotion of international peace and security, and that
fighting impunity for such crimes is an important factor in their prevention,
GE.18-05248(E)