A/HRC/RES/57/8 Extremely alarmed and concerned about the threat posed by the activities of mercenaries to peace and security in developing countries in various parts of the world, in particular in areas of conflict, and about the threat they pose to the integrity of and respect for the constitutional order of the countries affected, Deeply concerned about the loss of life, the substantial damage to property and the negative effects on the policies and economies of affected countries resulting from international criminal mercenary activities, and their impact on the protection and enjoyment of all human rights, Concerned about the threat of the misuse of new and emerging technologies, including digital technologies and financial instruments, as well as the use of social media and online crowdfunding platforms to organize, support and finance mercenaries and mercenary-related activities, Reaffirming the need to refrain from undertaking any activities that threaten peace, security and the self-determination of peoples and constitute obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights, Acknowledging that the increasing involvement of private military and security companies in humanitarian action poses concerns with regard to security, both as a public good and as a State function, 1. Reaffirms that the use of mercenaries, and their recruitment, financing, arming, protection, transit and training, is a cause for grave concern to all States and violates the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations; 2. Recognizes that armed conflicts, terrorism, arms trafficking and covert operations by third Powers encourage, inter alia, the demand for mercenaries and for private military and security companies on the global market; 3. Urges once again all States to take the necessary steps and to exercise the utmost vigilance against the threat posed by the activities of mercenaries, and to take legislative measures to ensure that their territories and other territories under their control, and their nationals, are not used for the recruitment, assembly, financing, arming, training, protection and transit of mercenaries for the planning of activities designed to impede the right to self-determination, to overthrow the Government of any State or to dismember or to impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States conducting themselves in compliance with the right of peoples to selfdetermination; 4. Requests all States to exercise the utmost vigilance against any kind of recruitment, training, hiring or financing of mercenaries; 5. Also requests all States to exercise the utmost vigilance in banning the use of private companies offering international military consultancy and security services when intervening in armed conflicts or actions to destabilize constitutional regimes; 6. Calls upon States to ensure that private military and security companies in their territory are required to operate under contractual obligations, monitoring and controls that comply with national laws and relevant international humanitarian and human rights obligations; 7. Encourages States that import the consultancy and security services provided by private companies, including in the extractive industries, to establish national regulatory mechanisms for the registering and licensing of those companies, for accountability of the companies and their personnel and for remedies for violations resulting from their activities in order to ensure that imported services provided by those private companies neither impede the enjoyment of human rights nor violate human rights in the recipient country; 8. Calls upon all States that have not yet become a party to the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries to consider taking the necessary action to do so; 9. Welcomes the cooperation extended by those countries that were visited by the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding 2