A/HRC/RES/39/5
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
4 October 2018
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Thirty-ninth session
10–28 September 2018
Agenda item 3
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 27 September 2018
39/5.
The use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and
impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling all previous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the Human
Rights Council and the Commission on Human Rights on the subject, including Assembly
resolution 64/151 of 18 December 2009 and Council resolutions 10/11 of 26 March 2009,
15/12 of 30 September 2010, 15/26 of 1 October 2010, 18/4 of 29 September 2011, 24/13
of 26 September 2013, 27/10 of 25 September 2014, 30/6 of 1 October 2015, 33/4 of 29
September 2016 and 36/3 of 28 September 2017,
Recalling also all relevant resolutions that, inter alia, condemn any State that permits
or tolerates the recruitment, financing, training, assembly, transit or use of mercenaries with
the objective of overthrowing the Governments of States Members of the United Nations,
especially those of developing countries, or of fighting against national liberation
movements, and recalling further relevant resolutions and international instruments adopted
by the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the
African Union and the Organization of African Unity, inter alia, the Organization of
African Unity Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa,
Reaffirming the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United
Nations concerning the strict observance of the principles of sovereign equality, political
independence, the territorial integrity of States, the self-determination of peoples, the nonuse of force or threat of use of force in international relations and non-interference in affairs
within the domestic jurisdiction of States,
Reaffirming also that, by virtue of the principle of self-determination, all peoples
have the right to determine freely their political status and to pursue freely their economic,
social and cultural development, and that every State has the duty to respect this right in
accordance with the provisions of the Charter,
Reaffirming further the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning
Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the
United Nations,
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
GE.18-16413(E)