PHA-Exch> UN RESOLUTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF HUMAN RIGHT LEARNING
Claudio Schuftan
cschuftan at phmovement.org
Fri Mar 28 13:06:08 PDT 2008
From: Shula Koenig pdhre at igc.org
*Sixty-second session UN Gral Assembly *
Agenda item 70 (f)
* Promotion and protection of human rights: celebration of
the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights*
* The report of the Committee on this item is being issued in seven
parts, under the symbol A/62/439 and Add.1-6.
* *
**
**
**
*Report of the Third Committee**
* **Rapporteur*: Ms. Tebatso Future *Baleseng *(
Botswana)
* I. Introduction*
1. At its 3rd plenary meeting, on 21 September 2007, the General
Assembly, on the recommendation of the General Committee, decided to include
in the agenda of its sixty-second session, under the item entitled
"Promotion and protection of human rights", the sub-item entitled
"Celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights" and to allocate it to the Third Committee.
2. The Third Committee held a general discussion on the sub-item
jointly with sub-items 70 (a) and (d) at its 20th and 21st meetings, on 23
October 2007, and took action on sub-item (f) at its 29th and 42nd meetings,
on 29 October and 9 November. An account of the Committee's discussion is
contained in the relevant summary records (A/C.3/62/SR.20, 21, 29 and 42).
* II. Consideration of draft resolutions A/C.3/62/L.28 and Rev.1*
3. At the 29th meeting, on 29 October, the representative of Benin,
on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of
the Group of African States and Argentina, introduced a draft resolution
entitled "International Year of Human Rights Learning" (A/C.3/62/L.28),
which read:
"*The General Assembly*,
"*Recalling* that the purposes and principles contained in the
Charter of the United Nations include encouraging respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms for all,
"*Reaffirming* the central importance of human rights education
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25
June 1993,
"*Recalling* its resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, in which it
decided that the Human Rights Council should promote human rights education
and learning as well as advisory services, technical assistance and
capacity-building,
"*Recalling also* the 2005 World Summit Outcome, in which Heads
of State and Government expressed their support for the promotion of human
rights education and learning at all levels, including through the
implementation of the World Programme for Human Rights Education, as
appropriate, and encouraged all States to develop initiatives in that
regard,
"*Acknowledging* that non-governmental organizations play an
important role at the national, regional and international levels in the
promotion and protection of human rights through education and learning,
"*Considering* that the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2008 is a suitable occasion to
redouble the Organization's efforts to promote a human rights culture
worldwide through education and learning,
"*Welcoming* the adoption by the Human Rights Council on 28
September 2007 of a resolution entitled 'United Nations Declaration on Human
Rights Education and Training',
"*Convinced* that every woman, man and child, in order to realize
their full human potential, must be made aware of all their human rights and
fundamental freedoms,
"*Convinced* that human rights learning should serve to transform
the holistic vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into a way
of life for people everywhere and a standard to measure the legitimacy of
Governments,
"1. *Decides* that the year commencing on 10 December 2007
shall be proclaimed the International Year of Human Rights Learning, devoted
to activities to broaden and deepen human rights learning as a way of life,
on the basis of the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity
and
non-selectivity, constructive international dialogue and cooperation, with a
view to enhancing the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to
development;
"2. *Also decides *that the Human Rights Council shall
promote the effective coordination and creative development of human rights
learning among Member States and within the United Nations system;
"3. *Calls upon* Member States to cooperate among themselves
to promote human rights learning and to undertake throughout the year and
beyond, at local, national and international levels, activities aimed at
ensuring the universal knowledge and implementation of human rights;
"4. *Invites* the Human Rights Council and the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to develop, in cooperation with
civil society organizations and appropriate United Nations agencies and
programmes, suitable activities to promote human rights learning at all
levels of society;
"5. *Decides* to devote a high-level segment at its
sixty-third session to reviewing activities of Member States and civil
society aimed at human rights learning in the context of the commemoration
of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
"6. *Requests* the Secretary-General to submit to the
General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session a report on the implementation
of the present resolution."
4. At its 42nd meeting, on 9 November, the Committee had before it a
revised draft resolution (A/C.3/62/L.28/Rev.1), submitted by the sponsors of
draft resolution A/C.3/62/L.28 and Austria, Barbados, Belize, Brazil,
Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana,
Haiti, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Slovenia and Thailand, subsequently
joined by Armenia, Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras,
Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname and Turkey.
5. At the same meeting, the Committee was advised that the revised
draft resolution had no programme budget implications.
6. Also at the 42nd meeting, the representative of Benin orally
revised the draft resolution as follows:
(a) After the fourth preambular paragraph, a new preambular
paragraph was inserted reading:
"*Noting* the complementarities between the World Programme for
Human Rights Education and the International Year of Human Rights Learning";
(b) Operative paragraph 4, which had read:
"4. *Decides* to devote a commemorative meeting at its
sixty-third session to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights";
was replaced by:
"4. *Decides* to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a plenary meeting to be held on 10
December 2008, and encourages the participation of Member States at the
highest level possible";
(c) In operative paragraph 5, the words "the end of the year
during" were inserted before the words "its sixty-fourth session".
7. At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution
A/C.3/62/L.28/Rev.1, as orally revised, without a vote (see para. 8).
*
*
* III. Recommendation of the Third Committee*
8. The Third Committee recommends to the General Assembly the
adoption of the following draft resolution:
* *A/RES/62/171*International Year of Human Rights
Learning*
*The General Assembly*,
*Recalling* that the purposes and principles contained in the
Charter of the United Nations include promoting and encouraging respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms for all,
*Reaffirming* the central importance of human rights education in
the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights[1]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftn1>and
the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World
Conference on Human Rights on 25 June
1993,[2]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftn2>
*Recalling* its resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, in which it
decided that the Human Rights Council should, inter alia, promote human
rights education and learning as well as advisory services, technical
assistance and capacity-building,
*Recalling also* the 2005 World Summit
Outcome,[3]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftn3>in
which Heads of State and Government expressed their support for the
promotion of human rights education and learning at all levels, including
through the implementation of the World Programme for Human Rights
Education, as appropriate, and encouraged all States to develop initiatives
in that regard,
*Noting* the complementarities between the World Programme for
Human Rights Education and the International Year of Human Rights Learning,
*Acknowledging* the important role played by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in promoting and
coordinating the Education for All programmes,
*Welcoming* the adoption by the Human Rights Council on 28
September 2007 of resolution 6/9, entitled "Development of public
information activities in the field of human rights, including the World
Public Information Campaign on Human
Rights",[4]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftn4>resolution
6/10, entitled "United Nations declaration on human rights
education and training",4 and resolution 6/24, entitled "World Programme for
Human Rights Education",4
*Acknowledging* that non-governmental organizations play an
important role at the national, regional and international levels in the
promotion and protection of human rights through education and learning,
*Considering* that the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2008 is a suitable occasion for
the United Nations to increase its efforts to promote a human rights culture
worldwide through education and learning,
*Convinced* that every woman, man and child, in order to realize
his or her full human potential, must be made aware of all his or her human
rights and fundamental freedoms,
*Convinced also* that human rights learning should contribute to
the fulfilment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a way of life
for people everywhere,
1. *Decides* that the year commencing on 10 December 2008
shall be proclaimed the International Year of Human Rights Learning, to be
devoted to activities undertaken to broaden and deepen human rights learning
on the basis of the principles of universality, indivisibility,
interdependency, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, constructive
dialogue and cooperation, with a view to enhancing the promotion and
protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right
to development, bearing in mind the duty of the State, regardless of the
political, economic and cultural system, to promote and protect all human
rights and fundamental freedoms, and the significance of national and
regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious
backgrounds;
2. *Calls upon* Member States to intensify their efforts,
throughout the year and beyond, to promote human rights learning and
education at the local, national and international levels, and encourages
cooperation at all levels and with all relevant stakeholders to this end;
3. *Invites* the Human Rights Council and the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to develop with Member States, in
cooperation with civil society organizations and appropriate specialized
agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, activities
suitable for promoting human rights learning, as appropriate, at all levels
of society;
4. *Decides* to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1 in a plenary meeting to be held
on 10 December 2008, and encourages the participation of Member States at
the highest level possible;
5. *Also decides* to devote a special meeting at the end
of the year during its sixty-fourth session to reviewing activities
undertaken by Member States, relevant United Nations agencies and civil
society during the International Year of Human Rights Learning and further
decides to determine the format of the meeting at a later date;
6. *Requests* the Secretary-General to submit to the
General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session a report on the implementation
of the present resolution.
------------------------------
<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftnref1>
[1] Resolution 217 A (III).
<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftnref2>
[2] See A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III, sect. II, paras.
78-82.
<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftnref3>
[3] See resolution 60/1, para. 131.
<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftnref4>
[4] See A/HRC/6/L.11, chap. I, sect. A; to final texts of the
resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council at its sixth session will be
issued in *Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-third Session,
Supplement No. 53 *(A/63/53).
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