United Nations A/RES/59/181 General Assembly Distr.: General 8 March 2005 Fifty-ninth session Agenda item 105 (a) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20 December 2004 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/59/503/Add.1)] 59/181. Equitable geographical distribution in the membership of the human rights treaty bodies The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 56/146 of 19 December 2001, Reaffirming the importance of the goal of universal ratification of the United Nations human rights instruments, Welcoming the significant increase in the number of ratifications of United Nations human rights instruments, which has especially contributed to their universality, Reiterating the importance of the effective functioning of treaty bodies established pursuant to United Nations human rights instruments for the full and effective implementation of those instruments, Recalling that, with regard to the election of the members of the human rights treaty bodies, the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly have recognized the importance of giving consideration in their membership to equitable geographical distribution, gender balance and representation of the principal legal systems and of bearing in mind that the members shall be elected and shall serve in their personal capacity, and shall be of high moral character, acknowledged impartiality and recognized competence in the field of human rights, Reaffirming the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as of different political, economic and legal systems, Recognizing that the United Nations pursues multilingualism as a means of promoting, protecting and preserving diversity of languages and cultures globally and that genuine multilingualism promotes unity in diversity and international understanding, Recalling that the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly have encouraged States parties to United Nations human rights treaties, individually and through meetings of States parties, to consider how to give better effect, inter alia, to the principle of equitable geographical distribution in the membership of treaty bodies, Expressing concern at the regional imbalance in the current composition of the membership of some of the human rights treaty bodies, 04-48712