A/HRC/RES/57/17 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 11 October 2024 Original: English Human Rights Council Fifty-seventh session 9 September–11 October 2024 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 10 October 2024 57/17. Equal participation in political and public affairs The Human Rights Council, Guided by the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Recalling all relevant international human rights treaties, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Recalling also all relevant Human Rights Council resolutions on equal participation in political and public affairs, in particular resolution 24/8 of 26 September 2013 on equal political participation, and resolutions 27/24 of 26 September 2014, 30/9 of 1 October 2015, 33/22 of 30 September 2016, 39/11 of 28 September 2018 and 48/2 of 7 October 2021, Recalling further all relevant Human Rights Council resolutions, in particular resolution 52/22 of 3 April 2023 on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Recalling all relevant General Assembly resolutions on strengthening the role of the United Nations in enhancing periodic and genuine elections and the promotion of democratization, in particular resolution 76/176 of 16 December 2021, Reaffirming that all citizens shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and without unreasonable restrictions, to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives, to have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in their country, and to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors, and reaffirming also that the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government and that no distinctions are permitted among citizens in the enjoyment of the right to participate in the conduct of public affairs on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, or on the basis of disability, Reaffirming also that democracy is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems, and their full participation in all aspects of their lives, GE.24-18615 (E)