A/HRC/RES/53/15
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
21 July 2023
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fifty-third session
19 June–14 July 2023
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 13 July
2023
53/15.
Impact of arms transfers on human rights
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights,
Recalling the obligations of States to respect, promote and protect the human rights
of all individuals within their jurisdictions,
Recalling also the inherent right to the individual or collective self-defence of States,
as recognized in Article 51 of the Charter,
Reaffirming that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person and is
entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be fully realized,
Acknowledging that peace and security, development and human rights are the pillars
of the United Nations system and the foundation for collective security, and recognizing that
peace and security, development and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing,
Recalling the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, the
Protocols Additional thereto of 8 June 1977, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid,
other relevant international human rights law and international humanitarian law instruments
and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,
Recalling also Human Rights Council resolutions 24/35 of 27 September 2013, 32/12
of 1 July 2016, 38/10 of 5 July 2018, 41/20 of 12 July 2019, 45/13 of 6 October 2020, 47/17
of 13 July 2021 and 50/12 of 7 July 2022, as well as 44/12 of 16 July 2020,
Acknowledging that millions of people around the world are affected by varied serious
human rights violations and abuses resulting from or facilitated by the diversion of arms and
unregulated or illicit arms transfers, and that these have a multiplier effect on human rights
abuses and violations, including the right to life and security of person, the rights to education
GE.23-14324(E)