A/HRC/RES/15/2
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
5 October 2010
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fifteenth 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*
15/2
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery
The Human Rights Council,
Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that no one
shall be held in slavery or servitude and that slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited
in all their forms,
Recognizing the Slavery Convention of 1926, the Supplementary Convention on the
Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery of
1956 and the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), of the International Labour
Organization, as well as other relevant international instruments which prohibit all forms of
slavery and call upon Governments to eradicate such practices,
Recalling that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action strongly
condemned the fact that slavery and slavery-like practices still exist today in parts of the
world and urged States to take immediate measures as a matter of priority to end such
practices, which constitute flagrant violations of human rights,
Reaffirming Council resolution 6/14 of 28 September 2007,
Condemning contemporary forms of slavery, while acknowledging that it is a global
issue that affects all continents and most countries of the world, and calling upon States to
take appropriate measures as a matter of priority to end such practices,
Deeply concerned that the minimum estimate of the number of people in slavery is
over 12 million and that the problem appears to be increasing,
*
GE.10-16577
The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of
the Council on its fifteenth session (A/HRC/15/60), chap. I.