A/RES/68/116
The rule of law at the national and international levels
Recalling paragraph 134 (e) of the 2005 World Summit Outcome, 1
1.
Recalls the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the rule of
law at the national and international levels, held during the high-level segment of its
sixty-seventh session, and the declaration adopted at that meeting; 2
2.
Takes note of the annual report of the Secretary-General on strengthening
and coordinating United Nations rule of law activities; 3
Reaffirms the role of the General Assembly in encouraging the
3.
progressive development of international law and its codification, and reaffirms
further that States shall abide by all their obligations under international law;
4.
Also reaffirms the imperative of upholding and promoting the rule of law
at the international level in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the
United Nations;
5.
Welcomes the dialogue initiated by the Rule of Law Coordination and
Resource Group and the Rule of Law Unit in the Executive Office of the SecretaryGeneral with Member States on the topic ‘‘Promoting the rule of law at the
international level’’, and calls for the continuation of this dialogue with a view to
fostering the rule of law at the international level;
6.
Stresses the importance of adherence to the rule of law at the national
level and the need to strengthen support to Member States, upon their request, in the
domestic implementation of their respective international obligations through
enhanced technical assistance and capacity-building;
7.
Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to ensure greater
coordination and coherence among the United Nations entities and with donors and
recipients, and reiterates its call for greater evaluation of the effectiveness of such
activities, including possible measures to improve the effectiveness of those
capacity-building activities;
8.
Calls, in this context, for dialogue to be enhanced among all stakeholders
with a view to placing national perspectives at the centre of rule of law assistance in
order to strengthen national ownership;
9.
Calls upon the Secretary-General and the United Nations system to
systematically address, as appropriate, aspects of the rule of law in relevant
activities, including the participation of women in rule of law-related activities,
recognizing the importance of the rule of law to virtually all areas of United Nations
engagement;
10. Expresses full support for the overall coordination and coherence role of
the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group within the United Nations
system within existing mandates, supported by the Rule of Law Unit, under the
leadership of the Deputy Secretary-General;
11. Requests the Secretary-General to submit, in a timely manner, his next
annual report on United Nations rule of law activities, in accordance with paragraph 5
of its resolution 63/128 of 11 December 2008;
_______________
1
Resolution 60/1.
Resolution 67/1.
3
A/68/213.
2
2/3