A/HRC/RES/21/4
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
9 October 2012
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Twenty-first session
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
21/4.
Enforced or involuntary disappearances
The Human Rights Council,
Reaffirming the relevant articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that protect the right of life, the
right of liberty and security of the person, the right not to be subjected to torture and the
right to recognition as a person before the law,
Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolution 20 (XXXVI) of 29 February
1980, in which the Commission decided to establish a working group of five members to
serve as experts in their individual capacity and to examine questions relevant to enforced
or involuntary disappearances, and also all previous resolutions on this subject, in particular
Human Rights Council resolution 16/16 of 24 March 2011, in which the Council renewed
by consensus the mandate of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances,
Acknowledging the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of
All Persons from Enforced Disappearance by the General Assembly in its resolution 61/177
on 20 December 2006,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/133 of 18 December 1992, by which the
Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance as a body of principles for States,
Recalling also General Assembly resolution 60/147 of 16 December 2005, by which
the Assembly adopted the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Remedy and
Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious
Violations of International Humanitarian Law,
GE.12- 17403
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.