A/RES/54/173 Page 2 Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on 10 December 1948,1 in particular the right freely to choose representatives through periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures, Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1999/57 of 27 April 1999,2 in which, inter alia, the Commission urged the continuation and expansion of activities carried out by the United Nations system, other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and Member States to promote and consolidate democracy within the framework of international cooperation and to build a democratic political culture through the observance of human rights, mobilization of civil society and other appropriate measures in support of democratic governance, Recognizing the usefulness of a comprehensive and balanced approach in the activities carried out by the United Nations in this field in contributing to strengthening both democracy and all human rights within the country concerned, Recognizing also the need for strengthening national capacity-building, electoral institutions and civic education in the requesting countries in order to consolidate and regularize the achievements of previous elections and support subsequent elections, Recalling the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993,3 in particular the recognition therein that assistance provided upon the request of Governments for the conduct of free and fair elections is of particular importance in the strengthening of a pluralistic civil society, Welcoming the support provided by States to the electoral assistance activities of the United Nations, inter alia, through the provision of electoral experts, including electoral commission staff, and observers, as well as through contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund for Electoral Observation, Noting with appreciation the efforts of the Electoral Assistance Division of the Department of Political Affairs of the Secretariat, in collaboration with other electoral assistance organizations and United Nations agencies, to gather and make available through electronic means information on and for national election administrators, processes and institutions, Noting the regional conference for Central Asian election administrators, held at Almaty, Kazakhstan, in November 1998, and the conference of the Global Electoral Organization Network, held at Ottawa in April 1999, Welcoming the Fourth International Conference of the New or Restored Democracies, to be held at Cotonou, Benin, in December 2000, and calling upon the international community, including the United Nations Development Programme, the Electoral Assistance Division and other relevant organizations and institutions to render all possible assistance to ensure the successful outcome of the Conference, 1 Resolution 217 A (III). 2 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 1999, Supplement No. 3 (E/1999/23), chap. II, sect. A. 3 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III. /...