United Nations
General Assembly
A/HRC/RES/21/21
Distr.: General
17 October 2012
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Twenty-first session
Agenda item 10
Technical assistance and capacity-building
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
21/21.
Enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building in the
field of human rights
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the United Nations, particularly with
regard to achieving international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for
human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction of any kind, such as
race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status,
Reaffirming the obligation of States under the Charter of the United Nations to
promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Recognizing that the enhancement of international cooperation is essential for the
effective promotion and protection of human rights,
Emphasizing that the promotion and protection of human rights should be based on
the principles of cooperation and genuine dialogue and aimed at strengthening the capacity
of States to prevent human rights violation and comply with their human rights obligations
for the benefit of all human beings,
Recalling the mandate of the Human Rights Council to promote advisory services,
technical assistance and capacity-building, to be provided in consultation with and with the
consent of States concerned, and the provisions in Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18
June 2007 and 16/21 of 25 March 2011 that aim to enable the Council to fulfil such a
mandate,
Reaffirming the resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights that provided the
foundation for advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights, in
particular resolutions 1993/87 of 10 March 1993 and 2004/81 of 21 April 2004,
GE.12-17648
The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of
the Council on its twenty-first session (A/HRC/21/2), chap. I.