A/HRC/RES/28/19
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and taking note with appreciation of
their recent reports,1
Recalling the commitments made by States at the World Summit for Children in
1990 and at the twenty-seventh special session of the General Assembly in 2002 to followup and implement the Plan of Action, 2 the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 3 the
guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights, 4 the United Nations Convention
against Corruption, the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing
for Development,5 the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development, 6 the Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action, the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on
Access to Legal Aid and Criminal Justice Systems,7 the Guiding Principles on Business and
Human Rights and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, and recognizing their
relevance, as appropriate, for other relevant stakeholders, such as business enterprises,
Reaffirming that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated,
interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on
the same footing and with the same emphasis, and recognizing the need to ensure the full
and effective enjoyment by all children of their human rights, including the right to
development,
Emphasizing that States have the primary responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil
all human rights, including the rights of the child, and that this responsibility involves all
branches of the State,
Reaffirming that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her
personality, should grow up in a family environment, while the best interests of the child
shall be the guiding principle of those responsible for his or her nurture and protection, and
that families’ and caregivers’ capacities to provide the child with care and safe environment
should be promoted,
Recognizing that the duties and responsibility to respect the rights of the child
extend in practice beyond the State and State-controlled services and institutions and apply
to private actors and business enterprises,
Affirming that investing in children is critical to achieving inclusive, equitable and
sustainable human development for present and future generations, and delivers benefits to
society and the economy at large,
Recognizing that investing in quality education and health services tailored for
children is a critical component of fulfilling the State’s duties and responsibilities to
respect, to promote and to protect the rights of the child,
Acknowledging that children constitute more than 30 per cent of the world
population and even more than 50 per cent of the population in some countries, and
expressing deep concern that, while States have developed and improved legal frameworks
for children, the lack of sufficient, efficient, inclusive and equitable public investment in
children remains one of the main barriers to realizing their rights,
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A/HRC/28/56, A/HRC/28/55 and A/HRC/28/54.
General Assembly resolution S-27/2, annex.
General Assembly resolution 55/2.
See General Assembly resolution 67/164.
A/CONF.198/11, chap. I.
A/CONF.212/L.1/Rev.1.
General Assembly resolution 67/187, annex.