A/HRC/RES/17/9
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
6 July 2011
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Seventeenth session
Agenda item 8
Follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration
and Programme of Action
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council∗
17/9
National institutions for the promotion and protection of human
rights
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, the most recent of which is
resolution 64/161 of 18 December 2009, and those of the Commission on Human Rights
concerning national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights,
Welcoming the international recognition of the importance of establishing and
strengthening independent, pluralistic national institutions for the promotion and protection
of human rights in accordance with the Principles relating to the Status of National
Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (“the Paris Principles”),1
Reaffirming the important role that such national institutions play and will continue
to play in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, in
strengthening participation and the rule of law, and in developing and enhancing public
awareness of those rights and fundamental freedoms,
Recalling the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World
Conference on Human Rights on 25 June l993, which reaffirmed the important and
constructive role played by national human rights institutions, in particular in their advisory
capacity to the competent authorities and their role in preventing and remedying human
rights violations in disseminating information on human rights and in education in human
rights,
Recognizing the important role of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights in assisting the development of independent and effective
∗
The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of
the Council on its seventeenth session (A/HRC/17/2), chap. I.
1
GE.11-14485
General Assembly resolution 48/134, annex.