Plan International - Girls' Rights Platform - Girls' rights are human rights: Positioning girls at the heart of the international agenda

1. This Convention shall be opened for signature at Geneva on 28 July 1951 and shall thereafter be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. It shall be open for signature at the European Office of the United Nations from 28 July to 31 August 1951 and shall be re-opened for signature at the Headquarters of the United Nations from 17 September 1951 to 31 December 1952.

F. The provisions of this Convention shall not apply to any person with respect to whom there are serious reasons for considering that: (a) He has committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, as defined in the international instruments drawn up to make provision in respect of such crimes; (b) He has committed a serious non-political crime outside the country of refuge prior to his admission to that country as a refugee; (c) He has been guilty of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

[In compliance with the fundamental obligations laid down in article 2 of this Convention, States Parties undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law, notably in the enjoyment of the following rights:] (e) Economic, social and cultural rights, in particular: (iv) The right to public health, medical care, social security and social services;

1. There shall be established a Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) consisting of eighteen experts of high moral standing and acknowledged impartiality elected by States Parties from among their nationals, who shall serve in their personal capacity, consideration being given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as of the principal legal systems.

2. Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.

1 . In time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation and the existence of which is officially proclaimed, the States Parties to the present Covenant may take measures derogating from their obligations under the present Covenant to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, provided that such measures are not inconsistent with their other obligations under international law and do not involve discrimination solely on the ground of race, colour, sex, language, religion or social origin.

1. A State Party to the present Covenant may at any time declare under this article that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications to the effect that a State Party claims that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations under the present Covenant. Communications under this article may be received and considered only if submitted by a State Party which has made a declaration recognizing in regard to itself the competence of the Committee. No communication shall be received by the Committee if it concerns a State Party which has not made such a declaration. Communications received under this article shall be dealt with in accordance with the following procedure: (b) If the matter is not adjusted to the satisfaction of both States Parties concerned within six months after the receipt by the receiving State of the initial communication, either State shall have the right to refer the matter to the Committee, by notice given to the Committee and to the other State;

1. A State Party to the present Covenant may at any time declare under this article that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications to the effect that a State Party claims that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations under the present Covenant. Communications under this article may be received and considered only if submitted by a State Party which has made a declaration recognizing in regard to itself the competence of the Committee. No communication shall be received by the Committee if it concerns a State Party which has not made such a declaration. Communications received under this article shall be dealt with in accordance with the following procedure:

The Convention was the culmination of more than thirty years of work by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a body established in 1946 to monitor the situation of women and to promote women's rights. The Commission's work has been instrumental in bringing to light all the areas in which women are denied equality with men. These efforts for the advancement of women have resulted in several declarations and conventions, of which the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is the central and most comprehensive document.

Recognizing that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world,

2. For the purpose of this Statute, "war crimes" means: (b) Other serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict, within the established framework of international law, namely, any of the following acts: (i) Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities; (ii) Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives; (iii) Intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units or vehicles involved in a humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, as long as they are entitled to the protection given to civilians or civilian objects under the international law of armed conflict; (iv) Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause incidental loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects or widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment which would be clearly excessive in relation to the concrete and direct overall military advantage anticipated; (v) Attacking or bombarding, by whatever means, towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives; (vi) Killing or wounding a combatant who, having laid down his arms or having no longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion; (vii) Making improper use of a flag of truce, of the flag or of the military insignia and uniform of the enemy or of the United Nations, as well as of the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions, resulting in death or serious personal injury; (viii) The transfer, directly or indirectly, by the Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory; (ix) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives; (x) Subjecting persons who are in the power of an adverse party to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are neither justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the person concerned nor carried out in his or her interest, and which cause death to or seriously endanger the health of such person or persons; (xi) Killing or wounding treacherously individuals belonging to the hostile nation or army; (xii) Declaring that no quarter will be given; (xiii) Destroying or seizing the enemy's property unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war; (xiv) Declaring abolished, suspended or inadmissible in a court of law the rights and actions of the nationals of the hostile party; (xv) Compelling the nationals of the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed against their own country, even if they were in the belligerent's service before the commencement of the war; (xvi) Pillaging a town or place, even when taken by assault; (xvii) Employing poison or poisoned weapons; (xviii) Employing asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and all analogous liquids, materials or devices; (xix) Employing bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard envelope which does not entirely cover the core or is pierced with incisions; (xx) Employing weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare which are of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering or which are inherently indiscriminate in violation of the international law of armed conflict, provided that such weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare are the subject of a comprehensive prohibition and are included in an annex to this Statute, by an amendment in accordance with the relevant provisions set forth in articles 121 and 123; (xxi) Committing outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment; (xxii) Committing rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, as defined in article 7, paragraph 2 (f), enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence also constituting a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions; (xxiii) Utilizing the presence of a civilian or other protected person to render certain points, areas or military forces immune from military operations; (xxiv) Intentionally directing attacks against buildings, material, medical units and transport, and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions in conformity with international law; (xxv) Intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including wilfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the Geneva Conventions; (xxvi) Conscripting or enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into the national armed forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities.

2. Within one month of receipt of that notification, a State may inform the Court that it is investigating or has investigated its nationals or others within its jurisdiction with respect to criminal acts which may constitute crimes referred to in article 5 and which relate to the information provided in the notification to States. At the request of that State, the Prosecutor shall defer to the State's investigation of those persons unless the Pre-Trial Chamber, on the application of the Prosecutor, decides to authorize the investigation.

3. In accordance with this Statute, a person shall be criminally responsible and liable for punishment for a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court if that person: (f) Attempts to commit such a crime by taking action that commences its execution by means of a substantial step, but the crime does not occur because of circumstances independent of the person's intentions. However, a person who abandons the effort to commit the crime or otherwise prevents the completion of the crime shall not be liable for punishment under this Statute for the attempt to commit that crime if that person completely and voluntarily gave up the criminal purpose.

3. In accordance with this Statute, a person shall be criminally responsible and liable for punishment for a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court if that person: (d) In any other way contributes to the commission or attempted commission of such a crime by a group of persons acting with a common purpose. Such contribution shall be intentional and shall either: (i) Be made with the aim of furthering the criminal activity or criminal purpose of the group, where such activity or purpose involves the commission of a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court; or

4. (a) Nominations of candidates for election to the Court may be made by any State Party to this Statute, and shall be made either: (i) By the procedure for the nomination of candidates for appointment to the highest judicial offices in the State in question; or (ii) By the procedure provided for the nomination of candidates for the International Court of Justice in the Statute of that Court. Nominations shall be accompanied by a statement in the necessary detail specifying how the candidate fulfils the requirements of paragraph 3.

2. The Office shall be headed by the Prosecutor. The Prosecutor shall have full authority over the management and administration of the Office, including the staff, facilities and other resources thereof. The Prosecutor shall be assisted by one or more Deputy Prosecutors, who shall be entitled to carry out any of the acts required of the Prosecutor under this Statute. The Prosecutor and the Deputy Prosecutors shall be of different nationalities. They shall serve on a full-time basis.

In addition to other grounds of criminal responsibility under this Statute for crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court: (b) With respect to superior and subordinate relationships not described in paragraph (a), a superior shall be criminally responsible for crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court committed by subordinates under his or her effective authority and control, as a result of his or her failure to exercise control properly over such subordinates, where: (i) The superior either knew, or consciously disregarded information which clearly indicated, that the subordinates were committing or about to commit such crimes;

2. If, upon investigation, the Prosecutor concludes that there is not a sufficient basis for a prosecution because: (a) There is not a sufficient legal or factual basis to seek a warrant or summons under article 58; (b) The case is inadmissible under article 17; or (c) A prosecution is not in the interests of justice, taking into account all the circumstances, including the gravity of the crime, the interests of victims and the age or infirmity of the alleged perpetrator, and his or her role in the alleged crime; The Prosecutor shall inform the Pre-Trial Chamber and the State making a referral under article 14 or the Security Council in a case under article 13, paragraph (b), of his or her conclusion and the reasons for the conclusion.

2. Where there are grounds to believe that a person has committed a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court and that person is about to be questioned either by the Prosecutor, or by national authorities pursuant to a request made under Part 9, that person shall also have the following rights of which he or she shall be informed prior to being questioned: (d) To be questioned in the presence of counsel unless the person has voluntarily waived his or her right to counsel.

7. As an alternative to seeking a warrant of arrest, the Prosecutor may submit an application requesting that the Pre-Trial Chamber issue a summons for the person to appear. If the Pre-Trial Chamber is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person committed the crime alleged and that a summons is sufficient to ensure the person's appearance, it shall issue the summons, with or without conditions restricting liberty (other than detention) if provided for by national law, for the person to appear. The summons shall contain:

(a) The violation casts substantial doubt on the reliability of the evidence; or

1. In the determination of any charge, the accused shall be entitled to a public hearing, having regard to the provisions of this Statute, to a fair hearing conducted impartially, and to the following minimum guarantees, in full equality: (e) To examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him or her and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his or her behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him or her. The accused shall also be entitled to raise defences and to present other evidence admissible under this Statute;

5. Where the disclosure of evidence or information pursuant to this Statute may lead to the grave endangerment of the security of a witness or his or her family, the Prosecutor may, for the purposes of any proceedings conducted prior to the commencement of the trial, withhold such evidence or information and instead submit a summary thereof. Such measures shall be exercised in a manner which is not prejudicial to or inconsistent with the rights of the accused and a fair and impartial trial.

4. Without prejudice to other articles in this Part, where it is necessary for the successful execution of a request which can be executed without any compulsory measures, including specifically the interview of or taking evidence from a person on a voluntary basis, including doing so without the presence of the authorities of the requested State Party if it is essential for the request to be executed, and the examination without modification of a public site or other public place, the Prosecutor may execute such request directly on the territory of a State as follows: (a) When the State Party requested is a State on the territory of which the crime is alleged to have been committed, and there has been a determination of admissibility pursuant to article 18 or 19, the Prosecutor may directly execute such request following all possible consultations with the requested State Party;

2. Any other dispute between two or more States Parties relating to the interpretation or application of this Statute which is not settled through negotiations within three months of their commencement shall be referred to the Assembly of States Parties. The Assembly may itself seek to settle the dispute or may make recommendations on further means of settlement of the dispute, including referral to the International Court of Justice in conformity with the Statute of that Court.

Acknowledging that regulation of the international trade in conventional arms and preventing their diversion should not hamper international cooperation and legitimate trade in materiel, equipment and technology for peaceful purposes,

Recognizing the security, social, economic and humanitarian consequences of the illicit and unregulated trade in conventional arms,

Mindful also of the role regional organizations can play in assisting States Parties, upon request, in implementing this Treaty,

The respect for the legitimate interests of States to acquire conventional arms to exercise their right to self-defence and for peacekeeping operations; and to produce, export, import and transfer conventional arms;

Each State Party shall establish and maintain a national control system, including a national control list, in order to implement the provisions of this Treaty.

If the export is not prohibited under Article 6, each exporting State Party, prior to authorization of the export of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) or of items covered under Article 3 or Article 4, under its jurisdiction and pursuant to its national control system, shall, in an objective and non-discriminatory manner, taking into account relevant factors, including information provided by the importing State in accordance with Article 8 (1), assess the potential that the conventional arms or items: could be used to: commit or facilitate a serious violation of international human rights law;

Each importing State Party may request information from the exporting State Party concerning any pending or actual export authorizations where the importing State Party is the country of final destination.

Each State Party is encouraged to maintain records of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) that are transferred to its territory as the final destination or that are authorized to transit or trans-ship territory under its jurisdiction.

Each State Party shall take appropriate measures to enforce national laws and regulations that implement the provisions of this Treaty.

If the export is not prohibited under Article 6, each exporting State Party, prior to authorization of the export of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) or of items covered under Article 3 or Article 4, under its jurisdiction and pursuant to its national control system, shall, in an objective and non-discriminatory manner, taking into account relevant factors, including information provided by the importing State in accordance with Article 8 (1), assess the potential that the conventional arms or items: would contribute to or undermine peace and security;

States Parties shall cooperate with each other, consistent with their respective security interests and national laws, to effectively implement this Treaty.

This Treaty is subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by each signatory State.

A State shall not be discharged, by reason of its withdrawal, from the obligations arising from this Treaty while it was a Party to this Treaty, including any financial obligations that it may have accrued.

States Parties are encouraged to report to other States Parties, through the Secretariat, information on measures taken that have been proven effective in addressing the diversion of transferred conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1).

States Parties are encouraged to take national measures and to cooperate with each other to prevent the transfer of conventional arms covered under Article 2 (1) becoming subject to corrupt practices.

Decides to remain actively seized of this matter.

Acknowledging that, in this regard, a number of positive results have been achieved, but deeply concerned that the overall trends with respect to sustainable development are worse today than they were in 1992,

Reaffirming the Declaration on the Right to Development, which it proclaimed at its forty-first session, and noting that the Declaration represents a landmark and a meaningful instrument for countries and people worldwide;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session;

Requests the Commission on Human Rights: To invite the follow-up mechanism, inter alia, to consider the question of elaborating a convention on the right to development;

Encourages all States to address, within the declarations and programmes of action adopted by the relevant international conferences convened by the United Nations, elements for the promotion and protection of the right to development;

Also welcomes the efforts made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights towards the promotion and realization of the right to development, and invites her to explore further ways and means to achieve this objective;

Emphasizing that the promotion, protection and realization of the right to development are an integral part of the promotion and protection of all human rights at the national and international levels,

Noting the need for coordination and cooperation throughout the United Nations system for the more effective promotion and realization of the right to development,

Reaffirms that democracy, development and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development, are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and in this context affirms that:

Also reaffirms that democracy, development and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms would be strengthened by enhanced international cooperation, in particular, for development;

[Calls upon the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as appropriate:] To project the role and importance of the right to development, as part of the overall promotion and protection of human rights;

Decides to consider this question at its fifty-fourth session under the sub-item entitled “Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms”.

Stressing the importance of creating an economic, political, social, cultural and legal environment that will enable people to achieve social development at the national and international levels,

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening good governance through the building of more effective and accountable institutions for promoting sustained growth and enabling all people to benefit equally from development,

[Invites the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to follow and review progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development and to submit annual reports to the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights and to provide interim reports to the open-ended working group and the independent expert on the right to development containing details on:] The activities of her Office relating to the implementation of the right to development, as contained in her mandate;

Deeply concerned at the manifestations of violence, racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination and inhuman and degrading treatment against migrants, especially women and children, in different parts of the world,

Also bearing in mind the need for a focused and consistent approach towards migrants as a specific vulnerable group, in particular migrant women and children,

Bearing in mind the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the human rights of migrants,

Reaffirming that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated,

Reaffirms that hunger constitutes an outrage and a violation of human dignity and therefore requires the adoption of urgent measures at the national, regional and international levels for its elimination;

Bearing in mind the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the Plan of Action of the World Food Summit,

Reaffirms the need for an international environment which is conducive to the realization of the right to development;

Recalling further the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in which the fundamental right of every person to be free from hunger is recognized,

Reaffirming that a peaceful, stable and enabling political, social and economic environment, at both the national and the international levels, is the essential foundation that will enable States to give adequate priority to food security and poverty eradication,

Supports the realization of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as extended by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2003/25;

Urges States to give adequate priority in their development strategies and expenditures to the realization of the right to food;

Welcomes the work already done by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in promoting the right to adequate food, in particular its general comment No. 12 (1999) on the right to adequate food (article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), in which the Committee affirmed, inter alia, that the right to adequate food is indivisibly linked to the inherent dignity of the human person and is indispensable for the fulfilment of other human rights enshrined in the International Bill of Human Rights, and is also inseparable from social justice, requiring the adoption of appropriate economic, environmental and social policies, at both the national and the international levels, oriented to the eradication of poverty and the fulfilment of all human rights for all;

Reaffirms the commitment, and urges developed countries that have not yet done so, to make concrete efforts towards meeting the targets of 0.7 per cent of their gross national product for official development assistance to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.2 per cent of their gross national product to least developed countries, and encourages developing countries to build on the progress achieved in ensuring that official development assistance is used effectively to help to meet development goals and targets;

Reiterating its continuing support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development as a development framework for Africa,

Recognizes the need for strong partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector in pursuit of poverty eradication and development, as well as for good corporate governance;

Stressing that poverty eradication is one of the critical elements in the promotion and realization of the right to development and that poverty is a multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted and integrated approach in addressing economic, political, social, environmental and institutional dimensions at all levels, especially in the context of the millennium development goal of halving, by 2015, the proportion of the world's people whose income is less than one dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger,

Reaffirming the objective of making the right to development a reality for everyone, as set out in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September 2000,

Reaffirming also that a peaceful, stable and enabling political, social and economic environment, at both the national and the international levels, is the essential foundation that will enable States to give adequate priority to food security and poverty eradication,

Bearing in mind the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action and the Declaration of the World Food Summit: five years later, adopted in Rome on 13 June 2002,

Stressing the importance of reversing the continuing decline of official development assistance devoted to agriculture, both in real terms and as a share of total official development assistance,

Recognizes that the promises made at the World Food Summit in 1996 to halve the number of persons who are undernourished are not being fulfilled, and invites once again all international financial and developmental institutions, as well as the relevant United Nations agencies and funds, to give priority to and provide the necessary funding to realize the aim of halving by 2015 the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, as well as the right to food as set out in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security6 and the United Nations Millennium Declaration;4

Stressing that poverty eradication is one of the critical elements in the promotion and realization of the right to development and that poverty is a multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted and integrated approach in addressing economic, political, social, environmental and institutional dimensions at all levels, especially in the context of the millennium development goal of halving, by 2015, the proportion of the world's people whose income is less than one dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger,

Recognizes the need for strong partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector in pursuit of poverty eradication and development, as well as for corporate social responsibility;

Welcoming the entry into force on 25 December 2003 of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime,

Urges States that have not yet done so to become parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto as a matter of priority and to implement them fully by, inter alia, putting in place effective national legislation, policies and action plans, strengthening relevant governmental structures for children and ensuring adequate and systematic training in the rights of the child for all those working with and for children, as well as ensuring child rights education for children themselves;

Calls upon States to cooperate, support and participate in the global efforts for poverty eradication at the global, regional and country levels, recognizing that strengthened availability and effective allocation of resources are required at all these levels, in order to ensure that all the internationally agreed development and poverty eradication goals, including those set out in the United Nations Millennium Declaration,5 are realized within their time framework, and reaffirms that investments in children and the realization of their rights are among the most effective ways to eradicate poverty;

[Condemns all forms of violence against children, and urges all States:] To address the gender dimension of all forms of violence against children and incorporate a gender perspective in all policies adopted and actions taken to protect children against all forms of violence, acknowledging that girls and boys face varying risks from different forms of violence at different ages and in different situations, and in this context recalls the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child adopted by the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-first session;

Further calls upon States to take all necessary measures to prevent and combat illegal adoptions and all adoptions that are not in the best interests of the child;

[Expresses deep concern about the persistence of the practices of the sale of children, child slavery, commercial sexual exploitation of children, child prostitution and child pornography in many parts of the world, and calls upon all States:] To criminalize and penalize effectively all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, including all acts of paedophilia, including within the family or for commercial purposes, child pornography and child prostitution, child sex tourism, trafficking in children, the sale of children and the use of the Internet and other information and communications technologies for these purposes, and to take effective measures against the criminalization of children who are victims of exploitation;

[Expresses deep concern about the persistence of the practices of the sale of children, child slavery, commercial sexual exploitation of children, child prostitution and child pornography in many parts of the world, and calls upon all States:] To combat the existence of a market that encourages such criminal practices against children, including through the adoption, effective application and enforcement of preventive, rehabilitative and punitive measures targeting customers or individuals who sexually exploit or sexually abuse children, as well as by ensuring public awareness;

Recalling also the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in which the fundamental right of every person to be free from hunger is recognized,

Reaffirming the universality, indivisibility, interrelatedness, interdependence and mutually reinforcing nature of all civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, including the right to development,

Also reaffirms the need for an international environment that is conducive to the realization of the right to development;

Recognizes the important link between the international economic, commercial and financial spheres and the realization of the right to development; stresses in this regard the need for good governance and for broadening the base of decision-making at the international level on issues of development concern and the need to fill organizational gaps, as well as to strengthen the United Nations system and other multilateral institutions; and also stresses the need to broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries and countries with economies in transition in international economic decision-making and norm-setting;

Stresses its commitment to indigenous peoples in the process of the realization of the right to development, and reaffirms the commitment to promote their rights in the areas of education, employment, vocational training and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and social security, in accordance with recognized international human rights obligations and taking into account, as appropriate, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 61/295 of 13 September 2007;

Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2

Recalling also the outcomes of all the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields,

Recognizing that, while development facilitates the enjoyment of all human rights, the lack of development may not be invoked to justify the abridgement of internationally recognized human rights,

Emphasizes the urgent need for taking concrete and effective measures to prevent, combat and criminalize all forms of corruption at all levels, to prevent, detect and deter in a more effective manner international transfers of illicitly acquired assets and to strengthen international cooperation in asset recovery, consistent with the principles of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, particularly chapter V thereof, stresses the importance of a genuine political commitment on the part of all Governments through a firm legal framework, and in this context urges States to sign and ratify the Convention as soon as possible and States parties to implement it effectively;

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;

[Also stresses that it is important that the Chair-Rapporteur and the Working Group, in the discharge of their mandates, take into account the need:] To mainstream the right to development in the policies and operational activities of the United Nations and the specialized agencies, funds and programmes, as well as in the policies and strategies of the international financial and multilateral trading systems, bearing in mind in this regard that the core principles of the international economic, commercial and financial spheres, such as equity, non-discrimination, transparency, accountability, participation and international cooperation, including effective partnerships for development, are indispensable in achieving the right to development and preventing discriminatory treatment arising from political or other non-economic considerations in addressing the issues of concern to the developing countries;

Recognizes the need to address market access for developing countries, including in the sectors of agriculture, services and non-agricultural products, in particular those of interest to developing countries;

Recognizes the important link between the international economic, commercial and financial spheres and the realization of the right to development, stresses in this regard the need for good governance and for broadening the base of decision-making at the international level on issues of development concern and the need to fill organizational gaps, as well as to strengthen the United Nations system and other multilateral institutions, and also stresses the need to broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries and countries with economies in transition in international economic decision-making and norm-setting;

Recalling the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and its outcome document,

Recognizing also that Member States should cooperate with one another in ensuring development and eliminating obstacles to development, that the international community should promote effective international cooperation, in particular to revitalize a global partnership for development, for the realization of the right to development and the elimination of obstacles to development and that lasting progress towards the implementation of the right to development requires effective development policies at the national level, as well as equitable economic relations and a favourable economic environment at the international level,

Takes note of the consolidated report of the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner concerning the promotion and realization of the right to development;

Encouraging relevant bodies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, including the specialized agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, relevant international organizations, including the World Trade Organization, and relevant stakeholders, including civil society organizations, to give due consideration to the right to development in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to cooperate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the fulfilment of his mandate with regard to the implementation of the right to development,

Urges States to acknowledge through public statements, policies or laws the important and legitimate role of individuals, groups and organs of society, including human rights defenders, in the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as essential components of ensuring their recognition and protection, including by condemning publicly all cases of violence and discrimination against human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, underlining that such practices can never be justified;

[Calls upon all States to create and maintain a safe and enabling environment for the realization of human rights and specifically to ensure that:] Human rights defenders, their family members, associates and legal representatives are not prevented from enjoying universal human rights owing to their work, including by ensuring that all legal provisions, administrative measures and policies affecting them, including those aimed at preserving public safety, public order and public morals, are minimally restrictive, clearly defined, determinable, non-retroactive and compatible with the obligations and commitments of States under international human rights law;

[Calls upon all States to create and maintain a safe and enabling environment for the realization of human rights and specifically to ensure that:] Information and communications technologies are not used in a manner that amounts to arbitrary or unlawful interference with the privacy of individuals or the intimidation of human rights defenders;

Emphasizes the critical importance of identifying and analysing obstacles impeding the full realization of the right to development at both the national and international levels;

Calls once again for the implementation of a desirable pace of meaningful trade liberalization, including in areas under negotiation in the World Trade Organization, the implementation of commitments on implementation-related issues and concerns, a review of special and differential treatment provisions, with a view to strengthening them and making them more precise, effective and operational, the avoidance of new forms of protectionism, and capacity-building and technical assistance for developing countries as important issues in making progress towards the effective implementation of the right to development;

Stresses its commitment to indigenous peoples in the process of the realization of the right to development, reaffirms the commitment to promote their rights in the areas of education, employment, vocational training and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and social security, in accordance with recognized international human rights obligations and taking into account, as appropriate, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 61/295 of 13 September 2007, and in this regard recalls the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, held in 2014;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session and an interim report to the Human Rights Council on the implementation of the present resolution, including efforts undertaken at the national, regional and international levels in the promotion and realization of the right to development, and invites the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group to present an oral report and to engage in an interactive dialogue with the Assembly at its seventy-second session.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Reaffirming that States have the primary responsibility to respect, promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of the child,

Notes with concern the large number of children belonging to national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, migrant children, refugee or asylum-seeking children, internally displaced children, and children of indigenous origin who are victims of discrimination, including racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, stresses the need to incorporate special measures, in accordance with the principle of the best interests of the child and respect for his or her views and the child's gender-specific needs, including children with special needs, in education programmes and programmes to combat these practices, and calls upon States to provide special support and to ensure equal access to services for those children;

Emphasizing that the Convention on the Rights of the Child constitutes the standard in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, reaffirming that States parties to the Convention shall undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognized therein, while bearing in mind the importance of the Optional Protocols to the Convention and calling for their universal ratification and effective implementation, as well as that of other human rights instruments,

Reaffirms paragraph 58 of its resolution 68/147, and calls upon all States to prevent, criminalize, prosecute and punish all forms of the sale and trafficking of children, including for the purposes of removal of organs of the child for profit, child slavery, and the sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution and child pornography, with the aim of eradicating those practices and the use of the Internet and other information and communications technologies for these purposes, to combat the existence of a market that encourages such criminal practices and take measures to eliminate the demand that fosters them, as well as to address the rights and needs of victims effectively and take effective measures against the criminalization of children who are victims of exploitation;

Notes with concern that child, early and forced marriage disproportionally affects girls who have received little or no formal education and is itself a significant obstacle to educational opportunities for girls and young women, in particular girls who are forced to drop out of school owing to marriage and/or childbirth, recognizing that educational opportunities are directly related to women's and girls' empowerment, employment and economic opportunities and to their active participation in economic, social and cultural development, governance and decision-making;

Reaffirms paragraphs 40 to 48 of its resolution 68/147, and calls upon all States to promote and protect all human rights of all children, to implement evidence-based programmes and measures that provide them with special protection and assistance, including access to health care and inclusive and equitable quality education and social services, to consider implementing voluntary repatriation, reintegration where appropriate and feasible, family tracing and family reunification, in particular for children who are unaccompanied, and to ensure that the best interests of the child are a primary consideration;

Encourages States to develop and implement a comprehensive juvenile justice policy to protect and address the needs of children in contact with the law, with a view to promoting, inter alia, a commitment to improving the quality of education available to children placed in alternative care and within the juvenile justice system, crime prevention programmes, the use of alternative measures, such as diversion, restorative justice and community-based programmes that focus on the rehabilitation and reintegration of the child, and ensuring compliance with the principle that deprivation of liberty of children should be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, as well as to avoid, wherever possible, the use of pretrial detention for children;

Welcomes the attention paid to the right to education of children by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Labour Organization and all relevant special representatives of the Secretary-General, as well as special procedures mandate holders, including the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the right to education, in particular, the human rights treaty bodies and the operational activities of the United Nations system on the issue;

[Calls upon all States to give full effect to the right to education for all children and in particular:] To take all appropriate measures to eliminate obstacles to effectively accessing and completing education, such as the cost of education, hunger and poor nutrition, distance from home to school, the institutionalization of children, armed conflicts, all forms of violence in school, insufficient infrastructure, including lack of access to water and sanitation, the lack of adequate and physically and otherwise accessible schooling facilities for girls, and child labour or heavy domestic work, and to ensure that children who are institutionalized also enjoy their right to education;

Expresses support for the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, and recognizes the progress achieved since the establishment of her mandate in promoting the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children in all regions and in advancing the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children, including through her regional and thematic consultations and field missions, and thematic reports addressing emerging concerns;

[Calls upon all States to give full effect to the right to education for all children and in particular:] To take all appropriate measures to safeguard the realization of the right to education for indigenous children, including their access to quality education, on the basis of equal opportunity, in a manner conducive to their fullest possible social inclusion and individual development, including through the provision of compulsory primary education that is available free to all and, when possible, is provided in their own language, and to take all appropriate measures to make all other levels and all forms of education available and accessible to indigenous children without discrimination;

Decides to extend for a further three years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur whose tasks will be: (a) To gather all relevant information, wherever it may occur, relating to violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, discrimination against, threats or use of violence, harassment, persecution or intimidation directed at persons seeking to exercise or to promote the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including, as a matter of high priority, against journalists or other professionals in the field of information;

Takes note with appreciation of the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (E/CN.4/2006/55, A/HRC/4/27 and A/HRC/7/14), invites all relevant actors to consider the recommendations contained therein, and welcomes his important contribution to the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, in particular his ongoing and increasing cooperation with other mechanisms and organizations;

Requests the Special Rapporteur, within the framework of his/her mandate: To report on instances in which the abuse of the right of freedom of expression constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination, taking into account articles 19 (3) and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and general comment No. 15 of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which stipulates that the prohibition of the dissemination of all ideas based upon racial superiority or hatred is compatible with the freedom of opinion and expression;

Reaffirms the primary responsibility of States to create national and international conditions favourable to the realization of the right to development, as well as their commitment to cooperate with one another to that end;

Recalls the commitment in the United Nations Millennium Declaration4 of halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015, notes with concern that some developing countries have failed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and in this regard invites Member States and the international community to take proactive measures aimed at creating a conducive environment to contribute to the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular increasing international cooperation, including partnership and commitment, between developed and developing countries towards achieving the goals;

Stressing the primary responsibility of States for the creation of national and international conditions favourable to the realization of the right to development,

Recalling the Charter of the United Nations and the core human rights instruments,

Emphasizing the urgent need to make the right to development a reality for everyone,

Stressing the primary responsibility of States for the creation of national and international conditions favourable to the realization of the right to development,

[Decides:] To endorse the recommendations of the Working Group as reflected in its report on its thirteenth session;

[Decides:] To consider the extension of the meeting time of the Working Group, as appropriate;

Reaffirming also in the above context all previous resolutions of the General Assembly on the International Decade for People of African Descent,

Gravely concerned that hunger, like poverty, is still predominantly a rural problem, and that in the rural population it is those who produce food who suffer disproportionately, and alarmed that 75 per cent of people suffering from hunger live in rural areas, particularly in developing countries, and 50 per cent are small-scale and traditional farm holders, as well as subsistence farmers, and that they are especially vulnerable to food insecurity, malnutrition, discrimination and exploitation,

[Recommends in the above context that the mandate of the forum on people of African descent serve as a consultative mechanism for people of African descent in the diaspora as well as an advisory body to the Human Rights Council on the plight and needs of the people of African Descent with a view to achieving the following objectives:] To provide expert advice and recommendations aimed at addressing challenges of all the scourges of racism confronted by people of African descent in the diaspora and that impede the full and effective realization of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Requests the Chair-Rapporteur of the working group to conduct informal consultations during the intersessional periods, as appropriate, with Governments, relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council, regional groups, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations mechanisms, civil society and representatives of peasants and other people working in rural areas, as well as with other relevant stakeholders and other relevant specialized agencies of the United Nations system;

Underscores in this regard the responsibility of all business enterprises, both transnational and others, to respect human rights, including the rights to life, liberty and security of person of human rights defenders, and their exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and participation in public affairs, which are essential for the promotion and protection of all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, and the right to development;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Calls upon all States to combat impunity by investigating and pursuing accountability for all attacks and threats by State and non-State actors against any individual, group or organ of society that is defending human rights, including against family members, associates and legal representatives, and by condemning publically all cases of violence, discrimination, intimidation and reprisals against them;

Calls upon all States to ensure that information held by public authorities, including with respect to economic, social and cultural rights, and as related to environmental, land, natural resources and development issues, is proactively disclosed and not unnecessarily classified or otherwise withheld from the public, and also calls upon all States to adopt transparent, clear and expedient laws and policies that provide for the effective disclosure of information held by public authorities and a general right to request and receive information, for which public access should be granted, except within narrow, proportionate, necessary and clearly defined limitations;

Strongly condemns the reprisals and violence against and the targeting, criminalization, intimidation, arbitrary detention, torture, disappearance and killing of any individual, including human rights defenders, for their advocacy of human rights, for reporting and seeking information on human rights violations and abuses or for cooperating with national, regional and international mechanisms, including in relation to economic, social and cultural rights;

Recognizes that, in the exercise of the rights and freedoms referred to in the Declaration, human rights defenders, acting individually and in association with others, shall be subject only to such limitations as are in accordance with applicable international obligations and are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society;

Recognizing also the role of the United Nations system, including its funds, programmes and agencies, in particular the leading roles of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Bank and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, in eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and the work under the annual World Health Assembly agenda item on monitoring the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals, and welcoming the ongoing efforts of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and other United Nations entities to promote gender equality, empowerment of women, development, human rights and peace through, inter alia, the mainstreaming of a gender equality perspective in United Nations activities,

Reaffirming also the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, in particular Millennium Development Goal 5 on improving maternal health, including the targets to reduce by three quarters between 1990 and 2015 the maternal mortality ratio and to achieve by 2015 universal access to reproductive health, Millennium Development Goal 4 on reducing child mortality, Millennium Development Goal 3 on promoting gender equality and empowerment of women, and Millennium Development Goal 6 on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and noting with concern that Millennium Development Goal 5 is the least likely of all the Millennium Development Goals to be achieved,

Recognizing that the root causes of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity, which can constrain efforts to eliminate them and contribute to their unacceptably high global rates, encompass a wide range of interlinked underlying factors related to development, human rights and health, including, inter alia, poverty, illiteracy, lack of economic opportunities, challenges associated with rapid population growth, poor nutrition, barriers to education, discrimination against women and girls, harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation/cutting and early and forced marriage, as well as gender-based violence, lack of participation in decision-making, poor health infrastructure, inadequate training for health personnel and inadequate investment in education, nutrition and basic health care,

[Also urges States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment for civil society, and in this regard encourages States to use good practices such as, inter alia, those compiled in the report of the High Commissioner on practical recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society, based on good practices and lessons learned 2 by, inter alia:] Taking steps to ensure a supportive legal framework and access to justice, including by acknowledging publicly the important and legitimate role of civil society in the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, including through public statements and public information campaigns, and better addressing business-related human rights abuses through the effective implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;