United Nations
General Assembly
A/RES/58/178
Distr.: General
12 March 2004
Fifty-eighth session
Agenda item 117 (b)
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 22 December 2003
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/58/508/Add.2)]
58/178. Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of
Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote
and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 53/144 of 9 December 1998, by which it adopted by
consensus the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups
and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, annexed to that resolution,
Reiterating the importance of the Declaration, and stressing the importance of
its wide dissemination,
Recalling all previous resolutions on this subject, in particular its resolution
57/209 of 18 December 2002 and Commission on Human Rights resolution 2003/64
of 24 April 2003, 1
Noting with deep concern that, in many countries, persons and organizations
engaged in promoting and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms are
facing threats, harassment and insecurity as a result of those activities,
Gravely concerned by the human rights violations committed against persons
engaged in promoting and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms
around the world,
Recalling that human rights defenders are entitled to equal protection of the
law, and deeply concerned about any abuse of civil or criminal proceedings against
them because of their activities for the promotion and protection of human rights
and fundamental freedoms,
Concerned by the considerable number of communications received by the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on human rights defenders that,
together with the reports submitted by some of the special procedure mechanisms,
indicate the serious nature of the risks faced by human rights defenders, in particular
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1
See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2003, Supplement No. 3 (E/2003/23), chap. II,
sect. A.
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