A/HRC/RES/16/5
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
8 April 2011
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Sixteenth 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*
16/5
Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights defenders
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 53/144 of 9 December 1998, by which the
Assembly adopted by consensus the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of
Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms annexed to that resolution, and reiterating the
importance of the Declaration and its promotion and implementation,
Recalling also the continued validity and application of all the provisions of the
above-mentioned Declaration,
Recalling further all previous resolutions on this subject, in particular Commission
on Human Rights resolution 2005/67 of 20 April 2005, Human Rights Council resolutions
7/8 of 27 March 2008 and 13/13 of 25 March 2010, and General Assembly resolution
64/163 of 18 December 2009,
Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the
Council, and 5/2, on the code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the
Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his/her
duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,
Emphasizing the important role that individuals and civil society institutions,
including non-governmental organizations, groups and national human rights institutions,
play in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all,
* The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of
the Council on its sixteenth session (A/HRC/16/2), chap. I.
GE.11-12506