PART VIII (A): General Assembly resolutions

4. Reque,t, the United Nations International
Children's Emergency Fund, as the United
Nations agency entrusted with special responsibility
for meeting emergency needs of children
in many parts of the world :
(a) To assist in the conduct of national cam•
pa1gns for the benefit of the International
Children's Emergency Fund, with a view to
providing international co-ordination of voluntary
governmental and non-governmental appeals
for the benefit of children;
(.b) To report concerning the appeals to the
ninth session of the Economie and Social Council
and to the fourth regular session of the General
Assembly.
Hundred and ,eventy-seventh plmuiry meeting,
8 Deamber 1948.
216 (ffi). Advisory social welfare ser•
vices
TA. General A,,embly,
Hat'Î"fl romiâered resolution 15 5 (VII) of the
Economie and Social Council of 13 August 1948
on advisory social welfare services,
Approve, the provisions of that resolution.
Hundred and ll8Veflty-,eventh plmuiry 1MtJtins,
8 Deamber 1948.
217 (III). International Bill of Human
Rights
A
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS
PREAIIBLB
W"6reai recognition of the inherent dignity
and of the equal and inalienable rights of• ail
members of the human family is the foundation
of freedom, justice and pcace in the world,
W"6rea. disregard and contempt for human
rights have resulted in barharous acts which have
outraged the conscience of mankind, and the
advent of a world in which human beings shaU
enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom
from fear and want bas been proclaimed as the
highest aspiration of the common people,
Wliereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled
to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion
against tyranny and oppression, that human
rights should be- protected by the rule of law,
W"6rea. it is essential to promote the development
of friendly relations between nations,
71
4. Invite k t''lndR intemati.onal de secours à
l'enfance de l'Organi8ation des Nations Unies en
sa qualité d'institution de l'Organisation dea
Nations Unies spécialement chargée de pourvoir
aux pressants besoins des enfants dans de nombreuses
parties du monde;
a) A contribuer à l'organisation de campagnes
nationales en faveur du Fonds international de
secours à l'enfance, afin d'assurer la coordination
internationale des appels gouvernementaux et
non gouvernementaux hénévoles en fawmr de
l'enfance;
h) A faire rapport sur !es résultats des appels
à la neuvième session du Conseil écon'lmique et
social ainsi qu'à la quatrième session ordinaire
de l'Assemblée générale.
Cent-soixante-Jix-s,ptù¼ne séance pléniere,
le 8 décembre 19 48.
216 (III). Fonctions consultatives en
matière de service social
L'Assemblée générale.
Ayant examiné la résolution 155 (VII) du
Conseil économique et social, en date du 13 aodt
1948, relative aux: fonctions consultatives en
matière de service social,
Approuve les dispositions de ladite résolution.
Cent-soixante-dix-septième séance pMniere,
le 8 déoembre 1948.
217 (Ill). Charte internationale de11
droits de l'homme
A
DÉCLARATION UNIVERSELLE DES DROITS
DE L'HOMME
PRÉAMBULE
Considérant que la reconnaissance de la dignité
inhérente à tous les membres de la famille
humaine et de leurs droits égaux et inaliénables
constitue le fondement de la liberté, de la justice
et de la paix dans le monde,
Comidérant que la méconnaissance et le mépris
des droits de l'homme ont conduit à des actes
de barbarie ~ui révoltent la conscience de l'humanité
et quel avènement d'un monde où les êtres
humains seront libres de parler et de croire,
libérés de la terreur et de la misère, a été proclamé
comme la plus haute aspiration de l'homme,
Considérant qu'il est essentiel que les droits de
l'homme soient protégés par un régime de droit
pour que l'homme ne soit pas contraint, en
suprême recours, à la révolte contre la tyrannie
et l'oppression,
Comidérant qu'il est essentiel d'encourager le
développement de relations amicales entre
nations,
WAmtu the peoples of the United Nations have
in the Charter reaffinned their faith in fondamental
human rights, in the dignity and worth
of the human person and in the equal rights of
men and wo~en and have determined to pro.
note social progress and better standards of lif e
in larger freedom,
W/i,reas Member States have pledged themselves
to achieve,in co-operation with the United
Nations, the promotion of universal respect for
and observance of human rights and fondamental
freedoms,
W.limwu a common understanding of these
rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance
for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, therefore,
The General A,aembly
Proclaim, this Universal Declaration of Human
Rights as a common standard of achievement for
ail peoples and all nations, to the end that every
individual and every organ of society, keeping
this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive
hy teacbing and education to promote respect for
these rights and freedoms and by progressive
measures, national and international, to secure
their universal and effective recognition and
observance, both among the peoples of Member
States themselves and among the peoples of
territories under their jurisdiction.
ARTICLE 1
Ali human beings are born free and equal in
dignity and rights. They are endowed with
reason and conscience and should act towards
one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
ARTICLE 2
Everyone is entitled to ail the rights .and freedoms
set forth in this Declaration, without disti
nction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or
other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on
the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international
status of the country or territory to
which a person belongs, whether it be independeut,
trust, non-self-governing or under any
other limitation of sovereignty.
ARTICLE 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the
security of person.
Coniidbant que dans la Charte les peuples des
Nations Unies ont proclamé à nouveau leur foi
dans les droits fondamentaux de l'homme, dans
la dignité et la valeur de la personne humaine,
dans l'égalité des droits des hommes et des
femmes, et qu'ils se sont déclarés résolus à favoriser
le progrès social et à instaurer de meilleures
conditions de vie dans une libérté plus grande,
Considérant que les États Membres se sont
engagés à assurer, en coopération avec l'Organisation
des Nations Unies, le respect universel et
effectif des droits de l'homme et des libertés
fondamentales,
Considérant qu'une conception commune de ces
droits et libertés est de la plus haute importance
pour remplir pleinement cet engagement,
L' Asaemblée génirale
ProclamB la· présente Déclaration universelle
des droits de l'homme comme l'idéal commun
à atteindre par tous les peuples et toutes les
nations afin que tous les, individus et tous les
organes de la société, ayant cette Déclaration
constamment à l'esprit, s'efforcent, par l'enseignement
et l'éducation, de développer le respect
de ces droits et libertés et d'en assarer, par des
mesures progressives d'ordre national et international,
la reconnaissance et l'application universelles
et effectives, tant parmi les populations
des États Membres eux-mêmes que parmi celles
des territoires placés sous leur juridiction.
ARTICLE PREMIER
Tous les êtres humains naissent libres et
égaux en dignité et en droits. Ils sont doués de
raison et de conscience et doivent agir les uns
envers les autres dans un esprit de fraternité.
72
ARTICLE 2
Chacun peut se prévaloir de tous les droits
et de toutes les libertés proclamés dans la présente
Déclaration, sans distinction aucune, notamment
de race, de couleur, de sexe, de langue,
de religion, d'opinion politique ou de toute
autre opinion, d'origine nationale ou sociale,
de fortune, de naissance ou de toute autre
situation.
De plus, il ne sera fait aucune distinction
fondée sur le statut politique, juridique ou
international du pays ou du territoire dont une
personne est ressortissante, que ce pays ou
territoire soit indépendant, sous tutelle, non
autonome ou soumis à une limitation quelconque
de souveraineté.
ARTICLE 3
Tout individu a droit à la vie, à la liberté et
à la st'ireté de sa personne.
ARTICLE lL
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude;
slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in
all their fonns.
ARTICLE 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
pu nishment.
ARTICLE 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywbere
as a person before the law.
ARTICLE 7
AH are equal before the law and are entitled
without any discrimination to equal protection
of the law. Ail are entitled to equal protection
against any discrimination in violation of this
Declaration and against any incitement to such
discrimination.
ARTICLE 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy
by the competent national tribunals for acts
violating the fondamental rights granted him by
the constitution or by law.
ARTICLE 9
No one shall be subjected to arhitrary arrest,
detention or exile.
ARTICLE 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair
and public hearing by an independent and
impartial tribunal, in the detennination of his
rights and obligations and of any criminal charge
against him.
ARTICLE 11
1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has
the right to be presumed innocent until proved
guilty according to law in a public trial at which
he has had ail the guarantees necessary for his
defence.
2. No one shall be held guilty of any penal
oflence on account of any act or omission which
did not constitqte a pen&.l offence, under national
or international law, at the time when it was
committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be
imposed than the one that was applicable at the
time the penal off ence was committed.
ARTICLE 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference
with his privacy, family, home or correspondence,
nor to attacks upon his honour and
reputation. Everyone has the right to the pro-
73
ARTICLE lL
Nul ne sera tenu en esclavage ni en servitude;
l'esclavage et la traite des esclaves sont
interdits sous toutes leurs formes.
ARTICLE 5
Nul ne sera soumis à la torture, ni à des
peines ou traitements cruels, inhumains ou
dégradants.
ARTICLE 6
Chacun a le droit à la reconnaissance en tous
lieux de sa personnalité juridique.
ARTICLE 7
Tous sont égaux devant la loi et ont droit
sans distinction à une égale protection de la
loi. Tous ont droit à une protection égale contre
toute discrimination qui violerait la présente
Déclaration et contre tontP provocation à une
telle discrimination.
ARTICLE 8
Toute personne a droit à un recours effectif
devant les juridictions nationales compétentes
contre les actes violant les droits fondamentaux
qui lui sont reconnus par la constitution ou par
la loi.
ARTICLE 9
Nul ne peut être arbitrairement arrêté, détenu
ni exilé.
ARTICLE 10
Toute personne a droit, en pleine égalité,
à ce que sa cause soit entendue équitablement
et publiquement par un tribunal indépendant
et impartial, qui décidera. soit de ses droits et
obligations, soit du bien fondé de toute accusation
en matière pénale dirigée contre elle.
ARTICLE 11
1. Toute personne accusée d'un acte délictueux
est présumée innocente jusqu'à ce que
sa culpabilité ait été légalement établie au cours
d'un procès public où toutes les garanties nécessaires
à sa défense lui auront été assurées.
2. Nul ne sera condamné pour des actions
ou omissions qui, au moment où elles ont été
commises, ne constituaient pas un acte délictueux
d'après le droit national ou international.
De même, il ne sera infligé aucune peine plus
forte que celle qui était applicable au mement
où l'acte délictueux a été commis.
ARTICLE 12
Nul ne sera l'objet d'immixtions arbitraires
dans sa vie privée, sa famille, son domicile ou sa
correspondance, ni d'atteintes à son honneur
et à sa réputation. Toute personne a droit à la
tection of the law against such interference or
attacks.
ARTICLE 13
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movenent
and residence within the borders of each
State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country,
inclnding his own, and to return to his country.
ARTICLE 14
1. Everyone has the right to seck and to enjoy
in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case
of prosecutions genuinely arising from nonpolitical
crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes
and principles of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 15
1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his
nationality nor denied the right to change his
nationality.
ARTICLE 1 ô
1. Men and women of full age, without any
limitation due to race, nationality or religion,
have the right to marry and to found a family.
They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage,
during marriage and at its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only witb.
the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fondamental
group unit of society and is entitled to protection
hy society and the State.
ARTICLE 17
1. Everyone has the right to own property
al one as well as in association with · others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his
property.
ARTICLE 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion; this right includes freedom
to change his religion or belief, and freedom,
either alone or in conununity with others
and in public or private, to manifest his religion
or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
ARTICl,E 19
protection de la loi contre de telles immixtions
ou de telles atteintes.
ARTICLE 13
1. Toute personne a le droit de circuler
librement et de choisir sa résidence à l'intérieur
d'un État.
2. Toute personne a le droit de quitter tout
pays, y compris le sien, et de revenir dans son
pays.
ARTICLE 1 li
1. Devant la persécution, toute personne a
le droit de chercher asile et de bénéficier de
l'asile en d'autres pays.
2. Ce droit ne peut être invoqué dans le cas
de poursuites réellement fondées sur un crime
de droit commun ou sur des agissements contraires
aux buts et aux principes des Nations
Unies.
ARTICLE 15
1. Tout individu a droit à une nationalité.
2. Nul ne peut être arbitrairement privé de
sa nationalité, ni du droit de changer de nationalité.
ARTICLE 16
1. A partir <le l'âge nubile, l'homme et la
femme, sans aucune restriction quant à la race,
la nationalité ou la religion, ont le droit de se
marier et de fonder une famille. Ils ont des
droits égaux au regard du mariage, durant le
mariage et lors de sa dissolution.
2. Le mariage ne peut être conclu qu'avec le
libre et plein consentement des futurs époux.
3. La famille est l' elément naturel et fondamental
de la sociét~ et a droit à la protection de
la société et de l'Etat.
ARTICLE 17
1. Toute personne, aussi bien seule qu'en
collectivité, a droit à la propriété.
2. Nul ne peut être arbitrairement privé de
sa propriété.
ARTICLE 18
Toute personne a droit à la liberté de pensée,
de conscience et de religion; ce droit implique
la liberté de changer de religion ou de conviction
ainsi que la liberté de manifester sa religion ou
sa conviction, seule ou en commun, tant en
public qu'en privé, par l'enseignement, les
pratiques, le culte et l'accomplissement des
rites.
ARTICLE 19
'Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion Tout individu a droit à la liberté d'opinion
and espression; this right includea freedom to et d'expression, ce qui implique le droit de ne
7fJ.
hold opinions without interference and to seek,
receive and impart informati.on and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers.
ARTICLE 20
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of
peaceful assemhly and association.
2. No one may be compelled to belong to an
association.
ARTICLE: 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part in the
government of his country, directly or through
freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right of equal access to
public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of
the authority of government; this will shaH be
expressed in periodic and genuine elections
which shall be by universal and equal suffrage
and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent
frc1' voting procedures.
ARTICLE 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the
right to social security and is entitled to realizati
on, through national effort and international
co-operation and in accordance with the organization
and resources of each State, of the economi1:,
social and cultural rights indispensable for
his dignity and the free development of his
personality.
ARTICLE 23
1. Everyone has the right to work, to free
choice of employment, to just and favourable
conditions of work and to protection against
unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discriinination, has
the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just
and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself
and his family an existence worthy of human
dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other
means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join
trade unions for the protection of his interests.
ARTICLE 24
Everyone has the right to rest and lei sure,
including reasonable liinitation of working hours
and periodic holidays with pay.
75
pas être inquiété pour ses opinions et celui de
chercher, de recevoir et de répandre, sans considérations
de frontières, les informations et les
idées par quelque moyen d'expression que ce
soit.
ARTICLE 20
1. Toute personne a droit à la liberté de
réunion et d'association pacifiques.
2. Nul ne peut être obligé de faire partie
d'une association.
ARTICLE 21
1. Toute personne a le droit de prendre part
à la direction des affaires publiques de son pays,
soit directement, soit par l'intermédiaire de
représentants librement choisis.
2. Toute personne a droit à accéder, dans des
conditions d'égalité, aux fonctions publiques
<le son pays.
3. La volonté du peuple est le fondement de
l'autorité des pouvoirs publics; cette volonté
doit s'exprimer par des élections honnêtes qui
doivent avoir lieu périodiquement, au suffrage
universel égal et au vote secret ou suivant une
procédure équivalente assurant la liberté du
vote.
ARTICLE 22
Toute personne, en tant que membre de la
société, a droit à la sécurité sociale; elle est
fondée à obtenir la satisfaction dei droits économiques,
sociaux et culturels indispensables
à sa dignité et au libre développement de sa
personnalité, grâce à l'effort national et à la
coopération internationale, compte tenu de
l'organisation et des ressources de chaque pays.
ARTICLE 2 3
1. Toute personne a droit au travail, au libre
choix de son travail, à des conditions équitables
et satisfaisantes de travail f't à la protection
contre le chômage.
2. Tous ont droit, sans aucune discrimination,
à un salaire égal pour un travail égal.
3. Quiconque travaille a droit à une rémunération
équitable et satisfaisante lui assurant
ainsi qu'à sa famille une existence conforme à
la dignité humaine et complétée, s'il y a lien,
par tous autres moyens de protection sociale.
4. Toute personne a le droit de fonder avec
d'autres des syndicats et de s'affilier à des syndiC'ats
pour la défense de ses intérêts.
ARTICLE 2 ft
Toute personne a droit au repos et aux loisirs
et notamment à une limitation raisonnable de
la durée du travail et à des congés payés périodiques.
ARTICLE 25
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of
living adequate for the health and well-being of
himself and of his farnily, including food, clothing,
housing and medical care and necessary
social services, and the right to security in the
event of unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood
in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood arc entitled
to special care and assistance. AH children,
whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy
the same social protection.
ARTICLE 26
1. Everyone has the right to education.
Education shall be free, at lcast in the elementary
and fondamental stages. Elementary cducation
shall be compulsory. Technical and professional
education shall be made generally available and
higher education shall be equally aecrssible to
all on the basis of mcrit.
2. Education shall hc dirccted to the full
devclopment of the human personality and to
the strengthening of respect for human rights
and fondamental freedoms. It shall promotc
understanding, tolerance and friendship among
all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall
further the activities of the United Nations for
the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the
kind of education that shall be given to their
children.
ARTICLE 27
1. Everyone has the right freely to participate
in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy
the arts and to share in scientific advancement
and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection
of the moral and material intcrests resulting
from any scientific, literary or artistic production
of which hc is the author.
ARTICLE 28
Evcryone is cntitled to a social and international
order in which the rights and freedoms
set forth in this Dcclaration can be fully realized.
ARTICLE 29
1. Everyone has duties to the community
in which alone the frec and full development
of his personality is possible.
ARTICLE 25
1. Toute personne a droit à un niveau <le vie
suffisant pour assurer sa santé, son bien-ètre
et ceux de sa famille, notamment pour l'alimentation,
l'habillement, le logement, les soins
médicaux ainsi que pour les services sociaux
nécessaires; elle a droit à la sécurité en cas de
chômage, de maladie, d'invalidité, de veuvage, de
vieillesse ou dans les autres cas de perte de ses
moyens de subsistance par suite de circonstances
indépendantes de sa volonté.
76
2. La maternité et l'enfance ont droit à une
aide et à une assistance spéciales. Tous les
enfants, qu'ils soient nés dans le mariage ou
hors mariage, jouissent de la même protection
sociale.
ARTICLE 26
1. Toute personne a droit à l'éducation.
L'éducation doit ètre gratuite, au moins en ce qui
concerne l'enseignement élémentaire et fondamental.
L'enseignement élémentaire est obligatoire.
L'enseignement technique et professionnel
doit ètre généralisé; l'accès aux études
supérieures doit ètre ouvert en pleine égalité
à tous en fonction de leur mérite.
2. L'éducation doit viser au plein épanouissement
de la personnalité humain_e et au renforcement
du respect des droits de l'homme et lies
libertés fondamentales. Elle doit favoriser la
compréhension, la tolérance et l'amitié entre
toutes les nations et tous les groupes raciaux ou
religieux, ainsi que le développement des activit_
és des Nations Unies pour le maintien de la
paix.
3. Les parents ont, par priorité, le droit de
choisir le genre d'éducation à donner à leurs
enfants.
ARTICLE 27
1. Toute personne a le droit de prendre part
librement à la vie culturelle de la communauté,
de jouir des arts et de participer au progrès
scientifique et aux bienfaits qui en résultent.
2. Chacun a droit à la protection des intérêts
moraux et matériels découlant de toute production
scientifique, littéraire ou artistique dont il
est l'auteur.
ARTICLE 28
Toute personne a droit à ce que règne, sur
le plan social et sur le plan international, un
ordre tel que les droits et libertés énoncés dans
la présente Déclaration puissent y trouver plein
pfft'(.
ARTICLE 29
1. L'individu a des devoirs envers la communauté
dans laquelle seule le libre et plein développement
de ~a personnalité est possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms,
everyone shall be subject only to such limitations
as 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.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case
be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles
of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted
as implying for any State, group or person any
right to engage in any activity or to perform
any act aimed at the destruction of any of the
rights and freed~ms set forth herein.
Humlred m11l r1ght.'l-thinl pll'l1ar:1 11uwting.
10 h1•cemlwr 19 4 8.
B
RIGHT OF PETITION
The General Assembly,
Considering that the right of petitwn is an
essential human right, as is recognized in the
Constitutions of a great number of countries,
Having considered the draft article on petitions
in document A/C.3/306 and the amendments
offered thereto by Cuba and France,
Decides not to take any action on this matter
at the present session;
Requests the Economie and Social Council to
ask the Commission on Human Rights to give
further examination to 'the problem of petitions
when studying the draft covenant on human
rights and measures of implementation, in
order to enable the General Assembly to consider
what further action, if any, should be taken at
its next regular session regarding the problem
of petitions.
Hundred and eight,9-thii·d plenar.11 meeting,
10 Dmmber 1948.
C
FATE OF MINORITIES
Tll8 Gtm61'al A11,mbly,
Conaidering that the United Nations cannot
remain indifferent to the fate of minorities,
Conndering that it is difficult to adopt a
uniform solution of this complex and delicate
question, which bas special aspects in · each
State in which it arises,
77
2. Dans l'exercice de ses droits et dans la
jouissance de ses libertés, chacun n'est soumis
qu'aux limitations établies par la loi exclusivement
en vue d'assurer la reconnaissance et le
respect des droits et libertés d'autrui et afin
de satisfaire aux justes exigences de la morale,
de l'ordre public et du bien-être général dans
une société démocratique.
3. Ces droits et libertés ne pourront, en
aucun cas, s'exercer contrairement aux buts
et aux principes des Nations Unies.
ARTICLE 30
Aucune disposition de la présente Déclaration
ne peut être interprétée comme impliquant
pour un État, un groupement ou un individu
un droit quelconque de se livrer à une activité
ou d'accomplir un acte visant à la destruction
des droits et libertés qui y sont énoncés.
Cent-q1tt1/rr-1•i11gt-t1·ois1'ili11e 1té11nce pf,lmère.
ft. 10 déceml,re 1948.
B
DROIT DE n:TITION
L'Assembwe générale,
Considérant que le droit de pétition est un des
droits essentiels de l'homme, comme le reconnaissent
les constitutions de nombreux pays,
Ayant examiné le projet d'article relatif aux
pétitions qui figure dans le document A/C.3/306
et les amendements à cet article déposés par
Cuba et la France,
Décide de ne prendre aucune mesure à ce sujet
au cours de la présente session;
Prie le Conseil économique et social d'inviter
la Commission des droits de l'homme à procéder
à un nouvel examen du problème des pétitions
lorsqu'elle examinera le projet de pacte relatif
aux droits de l'homme et aux mesures de mise
en oeuvre, afin que l'Assemblée générale puisse,
au cours de sa prochaine session ordinaire,
examiner quelles mesures doivent être prises,
s'il y a lieu d'en prendre, en ce qui concerne le
problème des pétitions.
Cent-quatrc-vingt-troisieme séance plé11iere.
le 10 décembre 1948
C
SORT DES MINORITÉS
L'Assemblée cénérale,
Conaidérant que les Nations Unies ne peuvent
pas demeurer indifférentes au sort des minorités,
Considérant qu'il est difficile d'adopter une
soluti?n uniforme de cette question complexe
et délicate qui revêt des aspects particuliPrs dam
chaque État où elle se e._ose,
Considering the universal character 01 the
Declaration of Human Rights,
Deddes not to deal in a specitic provision with
the question of minorities in the text of this
Declaration;
Refers to the Economie and Social Council the
texts submitted by the delegations of the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics, Yugosiavia and
Denmark on this subject ·contained in document
A/C. 3/307 /Rev. 2, and requests the Council 1
to ask the Commission on Human Rights and
the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of
Discrimination and the Protection of Minorities
to make a thorough study of the prohlem of
minoritie:s, in urder that the United Nations
may be able to take effoctive mcasures for the
pro'tection of racial, nationd, religions or linguistir,
minorities.
flw,dr,·i! and ngl11_11-tl11rrl 1de11ai·y me1•tir1g.
l 1, f>t•uw!wr 1.9./iB.
D
PUBLIC!TY TO BE GTVEN TO THE UNIv
ERSAL DECLARAT!ON OF lWMAN RIGHTS
Th.e General Assembly,
Considering that the adoption of the Universal
Dedaration of Human llights is an historie act,
destiued to consolidate world peace through the
contribution of the United Nations towards the
liberation of rndividuals frnm the nnjustified
oppression and coustraint to whidi they are
too often subjecte1l,
Considering that the text of the Declaration
should be disseminated among ail peoples
throughout the world,
l. Recornmends Governments of Member States
to show their adherence to Article 56 of the
Cherter by using every mean~ within their power
solemnly to publicize the text of the Declaration
and to cause it to be disseminated, displayed,
read and expounded principally in schools and
other educational institutions, without distinction
based on th,~ political :-;t;i.tus of countries or
terri tories;
2. Requests the Secretary-General to have
this Declaration widely disseminated and, to that
end, to puhlish and distribute texts, not only in
thr- official languages, but also, using every
means at bis disposai, in ail languages possible;
3. Invites tho specialized agencies and nongovernmental
organizations of the world to do
their utrnost to bring this Declaration to the
a tention of thcir members.
Jluwfr1•,I 111/fl mr,hty-tltlrd J1le»11r.~ meeting.
1 () lh!cember 19 4 R.
78
Considérant le caractère universel de la Déclaration
des droits de l'homme,
Décide de ne pas traiter par une disposition
spécifique dans le corps de cette Déclaration la
question des minorités;
Renvoie au Conseil économique et social les
textes soumis par les délégations de l'Union des
Républiques sociafütes soviétiques, de la Yougoslavie
et du Danemark sur cette question dans le
docum,mt A/C.3/307/Rev. 2, et prie le Conseil
d' invitn la Commission des droits de l'homme et
la Sous-Commission rle la lutte contre les mesures
discriminatoires et de la protection des minorités
à procéder à un examen approfondi du
problème des minorités, afin que l'Organisation
des Nations Unies puisse adopter des mesures
dficacrs rle protection des minorités raciaies,
nationales, religieust>s et linguistiques.
Cent-g11atre-1·ingt-troisienw séance pléni'ère,
le 10 décembre 1948.
D
PUBLICITÉ 1\ DONNER À LA DÉCLARATION
UNIVERSELLE DES DROITS DE L'HOMME
L'Assemblée générale,
Considérant que le vote de la Déclaration universelle
des droits de l'homme est un acte
historique, destiné à affermir la paix mondiale
en faisant contribuer l'Organisation des Nations
Unies à libérer l'individu de l'oppression et
des contraintes illégitimes dont il est trop souvent
victime,
Considérant que le texte de la Déclaration doit
avoir une <liffusion de caractère vraiment populaire
et universel,
1. Recommande aux Gouvernements des États
Membres de manifester leur fidélité à !'Article 56
de la Charte, en ne négligeant aucun des moyens
en leur pouvoir pour publier solennellement le
texte de la Déclaration et, ensuite, pour faire en
sorte qu'il soit distribué, affiché, lu et commenté
principalement dans les écoles et autres établissements
d'enseignement, sans distinction fondée
sur le statut politique des pays ou des territoires;
2. Prie le Secrétaire général de donner à cette
Déclaration une très large diffusion At, à ces
fins, de publier et faire distribuer les textes non
seulement dans les langues officielles, mais
encore, dans la mesure de ses moyens, dans
toutes les langues possibles;
3. Invite les institutions spécialisées et les
organisations non gouvernementales du monde
à bien vouloir faire leur possible pour porter
cette Déclaration à la connaissance de leurs
membres.
Ci•11t-quatre-l'ingl-troiBiè111e séance plénière,
le 10 décembre 1948.
f
PREPARATION OF A DRAFT COVENANT ON
HUMAN RIGHTS AND DRAFT MEASURES
OF IMPLEMENTATIOI\'
The General Assembly,
Considering that the plan of work of the
Commission on Human Rights provides for an
International Bill of Human Rights, to include
a Declaration, a Covenant on Human Rights
and measures of implementation,
Requests the Economie and Social Council to
ask the Commission on Human Rights to continue
to give priority in its work to the preparation
of a draft Covenant on Human Rights
and draft measures of implementation.
Hurulred arul eighty-third plenary meeting,
10 December 1948.
79
E
PREPARATION D'LN PROJET DE PACTE
RELATIF AUX DROITS DE L'HOMME ET
DE MESURES DE MISE EN OEUVRE
L · Assemblée générale,
Considérant que le plan <le travail de la Commission
des droits de l'homme prévoit l' élaboration
d'une rharte internationale des droits de
l'homme, qui devra comprendre une Déclaration,
un Parti) relatif aux droits de l'homme d des
mesures de mise en oeuvn';
lnv,ite le Conseil économique et social à demander
à la Commission des droits de l'homme de
continuer à donner la priorité, <lans son plan
de travail, à la préparation d'un projet de pacte.
relatif aux droits de l'homme et à l'élaboration
des mesures cle mise en oeuvre.
Cent-quatre-1,inèt-troisieme séance pléniere,
le 10 décembre 1948.
United Nations A/RES/76/137
General Assembly
Distr.: General
6 January 2022
21-19170 (E) 110122
*2119170*
Seventy-sixth session
Agenda item 28 (b)
Social development: social development, including
questions relating to the world social situation and to
youth, ageing, persons with disabilities and the family
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 16 December 2021
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/76/454, para. 51)]
76/137. Policies and programmes involving youth
The General Assembly,
Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1 and relevant
international human rights instruments, in particular the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights,2 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights3 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 4
Recalling also the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women,5 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities6 and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination,7 and emphasizing the responsibilities of all States to respect,
promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, including
young people,
Recalling further the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples,8
Recalling the World Programme of Action for Youth, adopted by the General
Assembly in its resolutions 50/81 of 14 December 1995 and 62/126 of 18 December
2007,
__________________
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
2 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3 Ibid.
4 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.
5 Ibid., vol. 1249, No. 20378.
6 Ibid., vol. 2515, No. 44910.
7 Ibid., vol. 660, No. 9464.
8 Resolution 61/295, annex.
A/RES/76/137 Policies and programmes involving youth
2/12 21-19170
Recalling also its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming
our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which, for the first
time, the General Assembly recognized children and youth as agents of change, and
recognizing that the Sustainable Development Goals are integrated, indivisible and
global in nature, and therefore that all of them apply to youth,
Reiterating the commitments of Heads of State and Government in the
declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United
Nations,9 in particular those related to listening to and working with youth, as well as
to placing women and girls at the centre,
Recalling that youth development is not only critical to the achievement of the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but that it is also recognized in other
development frameworks, including the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third
International Conference on Financing for Development,10 the Istanbul Declaration 11
and the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–
2020,12 the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, 13 the New
York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, 14 the outcome of the United Nations
Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) 15 and the
outcome of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the appraisal of the
United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, 16 and all
relevant international instruments or commitments related to migrants and refugees,
Recalling also that 2021 marks the tenth anniversary of the Economic and Social
Council youth forum, and acknowledging the important contributions made by the
youth forum to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
and its decade of action, and that it serves as an important platform for the effective
participation and substantive contributions of young people to share their vision with
decision makers and representatives of Governments and civil society,
Acknowledging that the promotion and protection of human rig hts and the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are interrelated and
mutually reinforcing,
Recalling the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes, adopted
at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, in 1998, and in this
context welcoming the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth 2019
and Youth Forum Lisboa+21, held on 22 and 23 June 2019, and noting the Declaration
on Youth Policies and Programmes,17
Welcoming the role of the Envoy of the Secretary-General on Youth and her
work in addressing the needs of and placing young people as a cross -cutting priority
of the United Nations, ensuring that their perspectives are reflected across the United
Nations work, as well as, inter alia, as a harmonizer with different United Nations
entities, Governments and their youth delegates, civil society, youth organizations,
academia and media towards enhancing, empowering and strengthening young people
within and outside the United Nations system,
__________________
9 Resolution 75/1.
10 Resolution 69/313, annex.
11 Report of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Istanbul,
Turkey, 9–13 May 2011 (A/CONF.219/7), chap. I.
12 Ibid., chap. II.
13 Resolution 69/15, annex.
14 Resolution 71/1.
15 Resolution 71/256, annex.
16 Resolution 72/1.
17 A/73/949, annex.
Policies and programmes involving youth A/RES/76/137
21-19170 3/12
Noting the progress made on the implementation of Youth 2030: The United
Nations Youth Strategy, launched by the Secretary -General, in September 2018, to
address the needs of youth and to fulfil their potential as agents of change, as well as
the Generation Unlimited global partnership, which is aimed at ensuring that, by
2030, every young person has the opportunity for education, learning, training or
employment,
Recalling that Member States have an important role in promoting and
protecting human rights and in meeting the needs and aspirations of all young people,
including those in vulnerable situations and those facing multiple and intersecting
forms of discrimination, and recognizing that the ways in which they are able to fulfil
their potential as agents of change will influence social, environmental and economic
conditions and the well-being and livelihood of future generations,
Recognizing the important and positive contribution of young people in efforts
for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and reaffirming the
commitment to the full implementation of the youth and peace and security agenda,
Underlining the important role that youth can play in the promotion of
sustainable development, human rights and the importance of the full, e ffective,
constructive and inclusive participation of youth in decision -making,
Recognizing the important role of young people in accelerating climate action,
and that tackling climate change requires coordinated action between Governments
and other stakeholders, including youth and youth-led organizations, and recognizing
also that the young generation will be most affected by today’s decision -making,
which should therefore consider the impact on future generations, ensure long -term
sustainability, and foster intergenerational equity,
Taking note of the convening of the “Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition” event,
held from 28 to 30 September 2021, in Milan, Italy, in preparation for the twenty -
sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nati ons Framework
Convention on Climate Change with the aim of contributing to the increase of youth -
led climate ambition and implementing concrete actions to achieve the objectives of
the Paris Agreement,18 and emphasizing the importance of the participation of young
people in the Conferences of the Parties,
Reaffirming that fulfilling the human rights, needs and well -being of youth,
including adolescents and young women, is critical to the achievement of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well a s other United Nations conferences
and summits, including the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 19 the
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development20 and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 21 and their
review conferences,
Welcoming the effective participation of youth representatives in national
delegations at the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and its
functional commissions and relevant United Nations conferences, and taking note that
2021 marks the fortieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 36/17 of
9 November 1981, in which the General Assembly requested Gover nments to consider
__________________
18 See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21, annex.
19 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.
20 Report of the International Conference on Popula tion and Development, Cairo, 5–13 September
1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex.
21 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4 –15 September 1995 (United
Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II.
A/RES/76/137 Policies and programmes involving youth
4/12 21-19170
the inclusion of youth representatives in their national delegations to the General
Assembly and to other United Nations meetings,
Reaffirming the importance of involving youth, and youth -led and youthfocused
organizations, in the work of the United Nations at the national, regional and
international levels in all matters of concern to them, including in the implementation
of the World Programme of Action for Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development,
Recognizing that a youthful population creates significant opportunities for
development, and underlining in this regard the importance of the creation by Member
States of appropriate policy environments, in collaboration with the United Nations
system, in order to realize a demographic dividend driven by large proportions of
young people moving into the labour force, while adopting an inclusive and
sustainable approach to development planning and implementation, with full respect
for human rights,
Reaffirming that generating decent work and quality employment for youth is
one of the biggest challenges that needs to be tackled, and emphasizing the priority
areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth linked to the employability of
youth, including quality education and healt h, and access to information and
technology, and bearing in mind that, before the beginning of the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) pandemic, 67.2 million youth were unemployed and 118.3 million youth
were living with their families in poverty, including mor e than 51 million in extreme
poverty, and with the pandemic these numbers are likely to have increased,
Emphasizing the need to empower youth, including young women and girls, in
order to achieve sustainable development, and stressing in this regard the commitment
in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to eradicate poverty and
substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
and to develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment, and in this
regard takes note of the call for action of the International Labour Organization on
the youth employment crisis and the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth,
Emphasizing also the need to substantially increase the number of youth and
adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for
employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship, and to ensure, by 2030, that all youth
and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and
numeracy,
Expressing concern about the spread of disinformation and misinformation,
including among young people, particularly on social medi a platforms, which can be
designed and implemented so as to mislead, to spread racism, xenophobia, negative
stereotyping and stigmatization, to violate and abuse human rights, including the right
to privacy, to impede freedom of expression, including the f reedom to seek, receive
and impart information, and to incite all forms of violence, hatred, intolerance,
discrimination and hostility, and emphasizing the important contribution of
journalists, civil society and academia in countering this trend,
Recognizing that, while young people represent almost one quarter of the online
population, they often lack job-relevant digital skills and knowledge to ensure their
access to the labour market, and that building the digital skills of young people is
crucial to boosting their future employability and social inclusion, by providing them,
including young women and girls, access to educational resources online and
necessary digital tools,
Recognizing also that the use of technology, specifically digital platforms, can
mitigate the loss of education and learning opportunities caused by school closures,
while expressing concern that the poorest and most vulnerable children and young
Policies and programmes involving youth A/RES/76/137
21-19170 5/12
people are least likely to live in a suitable home -learning environment with an
adequate Internet connection and learning support,
Recognizing further that many countries are making progress towards achieving
universal health coverage by 2030 and that the good health and well-being of young
people are closely intertwined with their capacity to complete their education and
seize employment opportunities,
Noting with concern that globally HIV continues to disproportionately impact
young people, particularly young women, and that young people’s knowledge and
awareness of HIV and AIDS and access to and use of essential HIV-related services,
including HIV testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis, remain unacceptably low, that
condom use is on the decline and that young people, who represent 16 per cent of the
global population, account for 28 per cent of new HIV infections, while stressing the
need to create an environment that does not allow the dissemination of scientifically
inaccurate information about HIV, including HIV denialism,
Recognizing that young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are most
vulnerable to HIV, experiencing infection rates two or three times as high as those of
young men, depending on the region, as well as many health -related threats and
challenges,
Recognizing also that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately
impact young people, including young women and girls, and those who are in
vulnerable situations, and that responses to the COVID -19 pandemic need to take into
account multiple and intersecting forms of violence, discrimination, stigmatization,
exclusion and inequalities,
Recognizing further that the multidimensional impacts of COVID-19 have
placed unprecedented pressures on youth, and that, in order to achieve an equitable
recovery from the pandemic, and to build back better, action is urgently needed to
coordinate multisectoral investments to improve youth health and nutrition, mental
health and well-being, education, information and communications technologies ,
safety and resilience and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development
Goals,
Noting with concern that incidences of discrimination and violence have been
exacerbated by the pandemic, and that young women and girls have been
disproportionately disadvantaged, resulting in a surge in young women and girls
dropping out of school, adolescent pregnancies and unintende d pregnancies, child,
early and forced marriage, limited access to health -care services and a reduction in
progress towards ending female genital mutilation,
Noting with concern also that, owing to school closures, the COVID-19
pandemic has exposed the digital divide, both between and within countries,
including the gender digital divide and vast disparities in the availability of learning
materials, including access to the Internet, and communication devices, and that even
though much focus has turned to remote learning platforms, many public schools,
especially in developing countries, are not set up to use them or do not have the
technology and equipment to provide online teaching, which leads to limited or lack
of education for many young people, especi ally young women and girls,
Noting the development of guiding principles and tools, for consideration by
States, on the human rights obligations of States to provide public education,
1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General;22
__________________
22 A/76/210.
A/RES/76/137 Policies and programmes involving youth
6/12 21-19170
2. Reaffirms the World Programme of Action for Youth, 23 and emphasizes
that all 15 priority areas of the Programme of Action are interrelated and mutually
reinforcing and the role that the Commission for Social Development plays in
supporting States in its implementation;
3. Also reaffirms the commitment of Heads of State and Government in the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development24 to leave no one behind, including youth,
and the importance of implementing, following up on and revi ewing strategies that
adequately address youth issues and give all young people, as well as youth and
youth-led organizations, real opportunities for full, effective, constructive and
sustainable participation in society, including in relevant decision-making processes
and monitoring, in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life,
including in designing and implementing policies, programmes and initiatives, in
particular, while implementing the 2030 Agenda;
4. Recognizes that 49 per cent of the world’s population is under 30 and only
2.6 per cent of members of parliament belong to this age gr oup, encourages the
increase of youth representation in national and local legislatures;
5. Reiterates that the primary responsibility for implementi ng the World
Programme of Action for Youth lies with Member States, and urges Governments, in
consultation with youth, youth-led and youth-focused organizations and other
relevant stakeholders, to develop integrated, holistic, inclusive and effective youth
policies and programmes, as well as coherent cross -sectoral efforts, based on the
Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to
evaluate them regularly as part of the follow-up action on and implementation of the
Programme of Action at all levels;
6. Urges Member States to protect, promote and fulfil the realization and full
enjoyment by all young people of all human rights and fundamental freedoms , in
accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant
international human rights instruments, in the implementation of the World
Programme of Action for Youth, while ensuring that youth policies and programmes
and their planning, design, implementation, monitoring and review include the views,
perspectives and priorities of youth and are adequately resourced, transparent and
accountable;
7. Also urges Member States to take measures to combat discrimination,
neglect, abuse and violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, and to
address issues relating to barriers to social integration and adequate participation,
bearing in mind that the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by
young people empowers them to contribute as active members of society to the
political, civil, economic, social, and cultural development of their countries;
8. Calls upon Member States to consider, on a voluntary basis, the indicators
proposed in the report of the Secretary -General25 for their selection and adaptation in
monitoring and assessing the implementation of the World Programme of Action for
Youth, giving particular attention to young women, marginalized groups and young
people belonging to vulnerable groups or in vulnerable situations , especially those
affected by armed conflict, taking into account the national social and economic
circumstances in each country;
9. Stresses the need to strengthen and support the capacity of national
statistical offices to design, collect and analyse data disaggregated by sex and age so
__________________
23 Resolution 50/81, annex, and resolution 62/126, annex.
24 Resolution 70/1.
25 E/CN.5/2013/8.
Policies and programmes involving youth A/RES/76/137
21-19170 7/12
as to contribute effectively to follow-up, reporting and accountability for the
achievement of the youth dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development;
10. Urges Member States to promote equal opportunities for all, to eliminate
all forms of discrimination and violence against all young people, including those
based, inter alia, on race, colour, sex, language, religion , political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status, and to foster social inclusion
and integration, including for young persons with disabilities, young migrants , young
people in rural and remote areas and indigenous youth on an equal basis with others;
11. Reiterates that the eradication of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, in
particular in the light of their consequence on children and youth, is crucial for the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, recalls the
commitment to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions and promote
sustained economic growth and sustainable development, including the strengthening
of international cooperation through the fulfilment of all official developmen t
assistance commitments and the transfer of appropriate technology and capacity -
building with regard to youth;
12. Also reiterates the need for more ambitious national development
strategies, efforts and investment in youth, while taking note of young people’s
diverse situations and conditions, backed by increased international support and, inter
alia, by providing youth with a nurturing environment for the full realization of their
human rights and capabilities and to realize the opportunity of the demographic
dividend offered by young people, and calls for the increased participation of youth,
youth-led and youth-focused organizations, other relevant stakeholders and civil
society organizations in the development of such national development strategies ,
policies and plans;
13. Emphasizes the role of quality health education and literacy in promoting
the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical
and mental health and improving health outcomes over the life course, and in this
regard encourages its promotion among young people by Member States, including
through evidence-based education and information strategies and programmes, both
in and out of school, and through public campaigns, and to increase the access of
youth to available, accessible, affordable, quality, safe, effective, sustainable and
appropriate youth-friendly health-care services, including sexual and reproductive
health-care services, social services, safe drinking water and adequate and equitable
sanitation and hygiene, including menstrual health, as well as by paying special
attention to and raising awareness regarding sport s and physical activity, nutrition,
including eating disorders and obesity, the promotion and protection of health,
including mental health and well-being, and equitable access to education and
participation, and support and care for youth with disabilitie s, the prevention of
interpersonal violence, the prevention, control and effects of communicable and
non-communicable diseases, the prevention of adolescent pregnancies, and
recognizes the need to develop safe, affordable and youth -friendly counselling and
prevention of psychoactive substance use and addictive behaviours;
14. Also emphasizes the need to implement measures to promote and improve
the mental health and well-being of young people, including by adopting and
investing in mental health policies which respect the human rights of young people
with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities, recognizing and
addressing risk factors for mental health conditions, scaling up comprehensive and
integrated services, both in person and in digital contexts, for the prevention of mental
health conditions, including suicide prevention, as well as providing psychosocial
support, including resilience training, while raising awareness of mental health issues ,
A/RES/76/137 Policies and programmes involving youth
8/12 21-19170
the impact of misuse of digital technology o n young people’s mental health and well -
being and tackling stigma, discrimination and social exclusion, promoting well -being,
strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, addressing social
determinants of health and fully respecting their human rights;
15. Further emphasizes that the respect for all human rights and addressing
the specific needs of young people in the response to HIV and AIDS is a key element
in efforts to achieve an AIDS-free generation, and urges Member States to develo p
accessible, available and affordable and youth friendly health-care services of high
quality, including sexual and reproductive health -care services, as well as information
and education programmes, including those related to sexually transmitted infecti ons,
including HIV and AIDS, delivered free from all forms of stigma and discrimination,
and to strengthen efforts in this regard, including by ensuring the active involvement
of young people living with or affected by HIV in the response;
16. Calls upon Member States to accelerate efforts to scale up scientifically
accurate age-appropriate comprehensive education, relevant to cultural contexts, that
provides adolescent girls and boys and young women and men, in and out of school,
consistent with their evolving capacities, with information on sexual and reproductive
health, gender equality and the empowerment of women, human rights, physical,
psychological and pubertal development, and power in relationships between women
and men, to enable them to build self-esteem and informed decision-making,
communication and risk reduction skills and to develop respectful relationships, in
full partnership with young persons, parents, legal guardians, caregivers, educators
and health-care providers;
17. Reiterates the need to fulfil the right to education of all girls and young
women, to economically empower women by providing them with job skills,
employment opportunities, including access to decent work, financial and digital
literacy and access to financial services, to scale up social protection interventions
for all girls and young women, and to engage men and boys as agents of change in
intensified efforts to combat all forms of violence, including sexual and gender-based
violence and harassment, both in person and in digital contexts, and to transform
negative social norms and gender stereotypes;
18. Emphasizes the right to education, recognizes that investment in universal,
quality and inclusive education and training is the most important policy investment
that States can make to ensure the immediate and long -term development of youth,
and reiterates that access to inclusive, equitable and quality formal and non -formal
education, at all levels, including, as appropriate, catch -up and literacy education,
including in information and communications technologies for those who did not
receive formal education, information and communications technologies and
volunteerism are important factors that enable young people to develop the relevant
skills, including complementary soft skills, and to build their capacities, including for
employability and entrepreneurial development, and to gain decent and productive
work, and calls upon Member States to take the actions necessary to ensure that young
people, including pregnant adolescents and young mothers, have access to such
services and opportunities, which will allow them to be drivers of sustainable
development;
19. Urges Member States to intensify efforts to address the high rates of youth
unemployment, underemployment, vulnerable employment, informal employment
and young people not in employment, education or training by developing and
implementing targeted and integrated local and national youth employment policies
for inclusive, sustainable and innovative job creation, improved employability, skills
development and vocational training to facilitate the transition from school to work,
and improving synergies between the education and employment sectors to increase
Policies and programmes involving youth A/RES/76/137
21-19170 9/12
the prospects for integrating youth into the sustainable labour market, and through
increased innovation and entrepreneurship, including the development of networks of
young entrepreneurs at the local, national, regional and global levels that foster
knowledge among young people about their rights and responsibilities in society, and
encourages Member States to invest in quality education, support lifelong learning
and provide social protection for all youth and to request donors, specialized United
Nations entities and the private sector to continue to provide assistance to Member
States, including technical and funding support, as appropriate;
20. Recognizes the importance of a deep connection between youth and their
respective cultural heritage and background as a tool for the establishment of positive
relations based on the respect for cultural diversity, leading to peaceful integration
also through artistic, cultural and sports initiatives;
21. Calls upon Member States to accelerate their efforts to close the digital
divide and promote innovation among youth by ensuring that information and
communications technologies are fully and appropriately integrated into education
and training at all levels, including in the development of curricula, teacher training
and institutional administration and management, and in support of the concept of
lifelong learning;
22. Encourages Member States to take the necessary and appropriate
measures, with respect for human righ ts, to address disinformation and advocacy of
hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence on the Internet,
particularly on digital platforms used for educational purposes, and stresses the
importance of educating young learners of the digital age on the responsible use of
technologies and raising their awareness around harmful use of sensitive contents, to
promote safety on the Internet so that it can continue to be a vibrant force that
generates economic, social and cultural dev elopment;
23. Urges Member States to address the challenges faced by girls and young
women, as well as gender stereotypes that perpetuate all forms of discrimination and
violence against girls and young women, including harmful practices, and the
stereotypical roles of men and women that hinder social and personal development,
by implementing the commitments to the empowerment of women and gender
equality and the human rights of all women and girls, and to engage, educate,
encourage and support men and boy s to take responsibility for their behaviour in this
regard, including their sexual and reproductive behaviour;
24. Also urges Member States to take comprehensive legal and policy
measures in order to eliminate all forms of violence against girls and youn g women,
including sexual harassment, and prevent violence, both in person and in digital
contexts, such as bullying, including cyber bullying, address the reported surge of
sexual and gender-based violence in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and
reaffirms that States should not invoke any custom, tradition or religious
consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination and should
pursue, by all appropriate means and without delay, a policy of eliminating violence
against women, as set out in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against
Women;26
25. Further urges Member States to mainstream a gender-responsive approach
into all development efforts, recognizing that the achievement of gender equality and
the empowerment of all women and girls is critical for achieving sustainable
development and for efforts to combat hunger, poverty and disease, and to strengthen
policies and programmes that seek to improve, ensure and broaden the full, equal and
meaningful participation of young women in all spheres of political, economic, social
__________________
26 Resolution 48/104.
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10/12 21-19170
and cultural life as equal partners, and to improve their access to all resources needed
for the full exercise of all of their human rights and fundamental freedoms by
removing persistent barriers, including by providing access to quality education at all
levels, ensuring equal access to full and productive employment and decent work and
strengthening their economic independence;
26. Recognizes that the international community faces increasing chal lenges
posed by climate change and the loss of biodiversity, which have increased
vulnerabilities and inequalities with direct and indirect implications for the human
rights and well-being of youth and which could make youth, particularly in
developing countries and small island developing States, vulnerable to their adverse
impacts, including through suffering disproportionately in labour markets in times of
crisis created by climate change, calls for the enhanced cooperation of and concerted
action by Member States with youth in order to address those challenges, taking into
account the positive role that the education of youth can play in that respect, and
encourages Member States to further promote youth participation in climate action
and to consider youth perspectives in decision-making processes on climate change;
27. Invites Member States to actively engage civil society, in particular youth
organizations, in decision-making processes regarding environmental policy and
programming initiatives, aimed at countering climate change, desertification, land
deterioration and biodiversity loss, and at strengthening youth involvement, their
capacity-building and resilience, in particular those in developing countries, and at
ensuring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment;
28. Recognizes that the sharing of responsibilities by family members ,
including on domestic and unpaid care work, creates an enabling family environment
for the empowerment of youth, including girls and young women, which contributes
to development, that youth make a significant contribution to the welfare of their
families and that particular attention must be paid to solutions to youth unemployment
in order to generate the human and social capital that is essential for social and
economic development;
29. Also recognizes the importance of strengthening intergenerational
partnerships and solidarity among generations, and in thi s regard recognizes the
importance of opportunities for voluntary, constructive and regular interaction
between young people and older generations in the family, the workplace and society
at large;
30. Further recognizes all recent efforts to promote the youth and peace and
security agenda, and calls upon Member States and relevant United Nations organs
and entities to consider ways to increase the meaningful and inclusive participation
of youth in conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, post -conflict processes
and humanitarian action, as well as to take concrete measures to further assist youth
in armed conflict situations, in accordance with the World Programme of Action for
Youth, and to encourage the involvement of youth, where appropriate, i n activities
concerning the protection of children and youth affected by armed conflict situations,
and recognizes the importance of protecting schools and universities from military
use, in contravention of international humanitarian law ;
31. Encourages Member States to strengthen the efforts aimed at promoting
and protecting the right to education and facilitating continuation of education in
armed conflict, also by considering endorsing and implementing relevant instruments
for the protection of children in armed conflict;
32. Urges Member States to take concerted action, in conformity with
international law, to remove obstacles to the full realization of the rights of young
people living under foreign occupation, colonial rule and in other areas of con flict or
Policies and programmes involving youth A/RES/76/137
21-19170 11/12
post-conflict situations in order to promote the achievement of the goals of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development;
33. Also urges Member States to take effective measures, in conformity with
international law, to protect young people, including youth in marginalized groups
affected or exploited by terrorism;
34. Further urges Member States to address legal, administrative, social,
economic, digital and cultural barriers that limit young people’s participation and
representation, while enabling the capacities, resources, information, technology,
support, space and skills needed to ensure free, active, independent, full and effective
participation of youth, including youth in vulnerable situations;
35. Calls upon Member States to develop or maintain, in this regard,
preventive measures and remedies for violations and abuses regarding the right to
privacy in the digital age that may affect all individuals, including young people,
promote digital literacy and technical skills to effectively protect their privacy and
take measures to prevent cyberstalking and cyberbullying;
36. Encourages Member States to include youth delegates in their delegations
at all relevant discussions in the General Assembly and its subsidiary organs, the
Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions and relevant United
Nations conferences, as appropriate, bearing in m ind the principles of gender balance
and non-discrimination, and emphasizes that such youth representatives should be
selected through a transparent process that ensures that they have a suitable mandate
to represent young people in their countries;
37. Calls upon the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the
Secretariat Programme on Youth to continue to act as the focal point within the United
Nations system for promoting further collaboration and coordination on youth -related
matters, including, inter alia, with Governments on the United Nations Youth
Delegate Programme;
38. Calls upon donors, including Member States and intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations, to actively contribute to the United Nations Youth
Fund in order to facilitate the participation of youth representatives from developing
countries in the activities of the United Nations, taking into account the need for
greater geographical balance in terms of youth representation, as well as to accelerate
the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth and to support the
production of the World Youth Report, and in this regard requests the Secretary -
General to take appropriate action to encourage contributions to the Fund;
39. Acknowledges the increased collaboration through the Inter-Agency
Network on Youth Development in developing the United Nations System -wide
Action Plan on Youth, requests United Nations entities, within existing resources, to
continue their coordination towards a more coherent, comprehensive and integrated
approach to youth development, calls upon United Nations entities and relevant
partners to support national, regional and international efforts in addressing
challenges hindering youth development, and in this regard encourages close
collaboration with Member States as well as other relevant stakeholders, including
civil society;
40. Recognizes the role of the Envoy of the Secretary -General on Youth and
her task of bringing the voices of young people to the United Nations system in the
areas of participation, advocacy, partnerships and harmonization identified in her
workplan, and encourages the Envoy to continue to work closely with Governments,
United Nations entities, civil society, youth organizations, academia an d the media
by empowering and strengthening the position of young people within and outside
the United Nations system, including by conducting country visits, at the request of
A/RES/76/137 Policies and programmes involving youth
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the Member States concerned, and calls upon Member States and United Nations
entities to support, as appropriate, the Envoy in her efforts to advance the situation of
youth globally;
41. Decides to convene a one day high-level plenary meeting of the General
Assembly, at the level of Heads of State and Government and with the full and
effective participation of youth, during the general debate of the eightieth session of
the United Nations General Assembly in 2025, to commemorate the thirtieth
anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth, with a view to address ing
the challenges still faced by young people in the realization of their full potential and
human rights and to strengthening political commitment for reinforced policies and
programmes involving youth;
42. Recommends, in this regard, that the President of the General Assembly
conduct consultations to finalize the organizational arrangements for the high -level
meeting of the General Assembly;
43. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly
at its seventy-eighth session on the implementation of the present resolution, and
encourages Member States to report on progress that has been achieved in the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals with
regard to the youth agenda and challenges that still remain, especially due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, to be prepared in consultation with relevant specialized
agencies, funds, programmes and regional commissions, taking into account the work
done by the United Nations system, and encourages the Secretariat to consult with
youth-led and youth-focused organizations.
53rd plenary meeting
16 December 2021
United Nations A/RES/76/140
General Assembly
Distr.: General
6 January 2022
21-19150 (E) 110122
*2119150*
Seventy-sixth session
Agenda item 29 (a)
Advancement of women: advancement of women
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 16 December 2021
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/76/455, para. 21)]
76/140. Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 56/129 of 19 December 2001, 58/146 of 22 December
2003, 60/138 of 16 December 2005, 62/136 of 18 December 2007, 64/140 of
18 December 2009, 66/129 of 19 December 2011, 68/139 of 18 December 2013, 70/132
of 17 December 2015, 72/148 of 19 December 2017 and 74/126 of 18 December 2019,
Reaffirming the obligation of all States to promote and protect all human rights
and fundamental freedoms, and also that all forms of discrimination, including
discrimination against women and girls, are contrary to the Charter of the United
Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1 the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights,2 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights,3 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women,4 the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 5 the Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities6 and other human rights instruments,
Reaffirming also the commitment made to gender equality and the empowerment
of all women and girls, including those in rural areas, contained in the outcome
documents of relevant international conferences and summits, in particular t he Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, 7
the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women
__________________
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
2 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3 Ibid.
4 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, No. 20378.
5 Ibid., vol. 1577, No. 27531.
6 Ibid., vol. 2515, No. 44910.
7 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4 –15 September 1995
(United Nations publication, Sales No. E. 96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annexes I and II.
A/RES/76/140 Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas
2/10 21-19150
2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty -first century”8 and the
outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known a s
the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples,9 and recalling other instruments, as
appropriate, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development, 10
Reaffirming further the outcome document of the United Nations summit for the
adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, entitled “Transforming our world: the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, 11 and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda
of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development,12
Recalling that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development addresses the need
to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, in order to
ensure that no one is left behind, and that the systematic mainstreaming of a gender
perspective in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is crucial,
Recognizing that the achievement of full human potential and of sustainable
development is not possible if one half of humanity continues to be denied its full
human rights and opportunities,
Taking note of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Women’s Economic
Empowerment,
Recalling the agreed conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women at
its sixty-second session13 and its priority theme “Challenges and opportunities in
achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls”,
Recognizing that progress on the achievement of gender equality and the
empowerment of women and girls, in particular in rural areas, has been held back
owing to the persistence of historical and structural unequal power relations between
women and men, poverty and inequalities and disadvantages in access to resources
and opportunities that limit women’s and girls’ capabilities, and growing gaps in
equality of opportunity, discriminatory laws, policies, social norms, attitudes, harmful
customary and contemporary practices and gender stereotypes,
Expressing its deep concern that discrimination and violence against women and
girls, including those in rural areas, continue to occur in all parts of the world and
that all forms of violence and discrimination, including multiple and intersecting
forms of discrimination, that women and girls face are impediments to the
development of their full potential as equal partne rs with men and boys in all aspects
of life, as well as obstacles to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,
Expressing its deep concern also that, while women contribute more than 50 per
cent of the food produced worldwide, they account for 70 per cent of the world’s
hungry, and that women and girls are disproportionately affected by hunger, food
insecurity and poverty, in part as a result of gender inequality and discrimination,
Expressing concern that many rural women continue to be economically and
socially disadvantaged because of their limited access to economic resources and
opportunities and their limited access or lack of access to quality education, health -
care services, justice, land, sustainable and time - and labour-saving infrastructure and
technology, water and sanitation and other resources, as well as to credit, extension
services and agricultural inputs, and expressing concern also about their exclusion
__________________
8 Resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex.
9 Resolution 69/2.
10 Resolution 41/128, annex.
11 Resolution 70/1.
12 Resolution 69/313, annex.
13 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2018, Supplement No. 7 (E/2018/27),
chap. I, sect. A.
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21-19150 3/10
from planning and decision-making and their disproportionate share of unpa id care
and domestic work,
Emphasizing that rural women’s poverty is directly related to the absence of
economic opportunities and autonomy and the lack of access to economic and productive
resources, quality education and support services and of women’s participation in the
decision-making process, and recognizing that rural women’s poverty and lack of
empowerment as well as their exclusion from social and economic policies can place
them at increased risk of violence that can impede their social and econ omic
development, as well as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,
Recognizing that, despite gains in providing access to quality education, rural
girls are still more likely than rural boys to remain excluded from education and that
among the gender-specific barriers to girls’ equal enjoyment of their right to education
are the feminization of poverty, child labour undertaken by girls, child, early and
forced marriage, female genital mutilation, early and repeat pregnancies, all forms of
violence, including gender-based violence, abuse and harassment on the way to and
from and at school, in their technology -mediated environment, the lack of safe and
adequate sanitation facilities, including for menstrual hygiene management, the
disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work performed by girls and
gender stereotypes and negative social norms that lead families and communities to
place less value on the education of girls than that of boys and may influence the
decision of parents to allow girls to attend school,
Recognizing also the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of
Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security 14 and
the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems,15
endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security, which embrace gender equality
as one of the main guiding principles of implementation in order to help to address
the ongoing disparities with regard to access to and control of land and other n atural
resources,
Deeply concerned that climate change poses a challenge to poverty eradication
and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, threatens food security
and increases the risks of famine and adversely impacts the health and well -being of
rural women and their families, and that rural women and girls, especially in
developing countries, are disproportionately affected by the impacts of desertification,
deforestation, sand and dust storms, natural disasters, persistent drought, extre me
weather events, sea level rise, coastal erosion and ocean acidification and often have
limited capacities to adapt to climate change,
Recognizing that women and girls in rural areas may be particularly vulnerable
to violence because of multidimensional poverty and lack of access to social care and
protection services and, as applicable, employment opportunities, as well as negative
social norms,
1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary -General;16
2. Urges Member States, in collaboration with the organizations of the
United Nations system and civil society, as appropriate, to continue their efforts to
implement the outcome of and to ensure an integrated and coordinated follow -up to
the relevant United Nations conferences and summits, including their reviews, and to
__________________
14 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document CL 144/9 (C 2013/20),
appendix D.
15 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document C 2015/20, appendix D.
16 A/76/241.
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attach greater importance to the improvement of the situation of rural women and
girls in their national, regional and global development strategies by, inter alia:
(a) Creating an enabling environment for improving their situation and
ensuring systematic attention to their needs, priorities and contributions, as well as
gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including through
enhanced cooperation and a gender perspective, and the full and equal participation
of all women in the development, implementation and follow -up of macroeconomic
policies, including development policies and programmes and poverty eradication
strategies, including poverty reduction strategy papers, where they exist, aimed at
implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
(b) Encouraging Member States to consider adopting and pursuing national
financial inclusion strategies and gender-responsive strategies to end the structural
barriers to women’s equal access to economic resources and to expand peer learning,
experience-sharing and capacity-building in rural areas;
(c) Supporting the important role of civil society in promoting the realization
and fulfilment of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women, including
rural women;
(d) Taking steps in the design, implementation and pursuit of fiscal policies
and gender-responsive budgeting to promote gender equality and the empowerment
of rural women and girls;
(e) Pursuing the political and socioeconomic empowerment of rural women
and supporting their full and equal participation in decision -making at all levels,
including through affirmative action, where appropriate, including by promoting and
protecting the right to vote and to be elected and the right to freedom of expression,
peaceful assembly and association, and through support for women’s and farmers’
organizations in which subsistence and smallholder women farmers are members,
labour unions, cooperatives or other associations and civil society groups promoting
rural women’s rights;
(f) Promoting consultation with and the participation of rural women and, as
appropriate, girls, including those who are indigenous, those with disabilities and
older women, through their organizations and networks, in the design, development
and implementation of and follow-up to programmes and strategies for gender
equality, the empowerment of women and rural development;
(g) Ensuring that the perspectives of rural women and girls are taken into
account and that rural women fully, meaningfully and equally participate in the
design, implementation, follow-up and evaluation of policies and activities related to
conflict prevention, the mitigation of post-conflict situations, peace mediation, the
impacts of climate change and emergencies, including natural disasters, humanitarian
assistance, peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction, and taking appropriate
measures to eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against rural women
and girls in this regard;
(h) Integrating a gender perspective into the design, implementation and
evaluation of and follow-up to development policies, plans and programmes,
including budget policies, where lacking, ensuring coordination between line
ministries, gender policymakers, gender machineries and other relevant government
organizations and institutions with gender expertise, and payi ng increased attention
to the needs of rural women and girls to ensure that they benefit from policies and
programmes adopted in all spheres and that the disproportionate number of rural
women living in poverty is reduced;
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21-19150 5/10
(i) Mainstreaming a gender perspective in decision-making processes and the
governance of natural resources, leveraging the participation and influence of women
in managing the sustainable use of natural resources, and enhancing the capacities of
Governments, civil society and development partners to better understand and address
gender issues in the management and governance of natural resources;
(j) Implementing effective, high-impact, quality-assured, people-centred,
gender- and disability-responsive and evidence-based interventions to meet the health
needs of rural women and girls, particularly those in vulnerable situations, throughout
their life course;
(k) Strengthening measures, including resource generation, to improve
women’s health, including maternal health, by addressing the specific health,
nutrition and basic needs of rural women and taking concrete measures to enhance
and provide access to the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health
for women of all ages in rural areas, as well as quality, affordable and universally
accessible primary health care and support services, including prenatal and postnatal
health care, emergency obstetric care, family planning, information and education,
increasing knowledge, awareness and support for the elimination of harmful practices
and the prevention, treatment and care of sexually transmitted infections, including
HIV, and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive
rights in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Con ference
on Population and Development,17 the Beijing Platform for Action18 and the outcome
documents of their review conferences;
(l) Strengthening the prevention, treatment and care of infections, such as
HIV, in rural areas, by providing accessible info rmation, social care services and
infrastructure;
(m) Taking appropriate measures to ensure that women’s and girls’
disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work, as well as contributions to
on-farm and off-farm production, is recognized, includ ing by fully recognizing and
valuing unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services,
infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared
responsibility within the household and the family, and to promote nation ally
appropriate policies and initiatives supporting the reconciliation of work and family
life and the equal sharing of responsibilities between men and women with a view to
reducing and equitably distributing such unpaid work, including through, inter al ia,
the provision of infrastructure, technology and public services, such as water and
sanitation, renewable energy, transport and information and communications
technology, as well as addressing the need for accessible, affordable and quality
childcare and care facilities in rural areas;
(n) Promoting sustainable, gender-responsive, quality, reliable and resilient
infrastructure, including by scaling up investment in health facilities in rural areas
and by improving access to safe drinking water and sanit ation, including through
provisions for menstrual hygiene management, and safe cooking and heating practices
to improve the health and nutrition of rural women and girls;
(o) Investing in and strengthening efforts to meet the basic needs of rural
women, including needs relating to their food security and nutrition and that of their
families, and to promote adequate standards of living for them, as well as decent
conditions for work and improved access to local, regional and global markets through
__________________
17 Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5 –13 September
1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex.
18 Report of the Fourth World Conferen ce on Women, Beijing, 4–15 September 1995
(United Nations publication, Sales No. E. 96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.
A/RES/76/140 Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas
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improved availability, access to and use of critical rural infrastructure, such as energy
and transport, science and technology, local services, capacity -building and human
resources development measures and the provision of a safe and reliable water supply
and sanitation, nutritional programmes, affordable housing programmes, education
and literacy programmes, social support measures and health care, including HIV
prevention, treatment, care, including psychosocial aspects, and support services;
(p) Fully engaging men and boys, including community leaders, as strategic
partners and allies in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and
girls, and eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against them, including
by working to counteract attitudes by which women and girls are regarded as
subordinate to men and boys;
(q) Eliminating all forms of violence against rural women and girls in public and
private spaces through multisectoral and coordinated approaches to prevent and respond
to violence against rural women and girls, to investigate, prosecute and punish the
perpetrators of violence against rural women and girls and end impunity and to provide
protection as well as equal access to comprehensive social, health and legal services for
all victims and survivors to support their full recovery and reintegration into society,
including by providing access to psychosocial support and rehabilitation, and bearing in
mind the importance of all women and girls living free from violence, such as gende rrelated
killings, including femicide, and harmful practices, such as child, early and
forced marriage and female genital mutilation, as well as of addressing the structural and
underlying causes of violence against women and girls through enhanced preven tion
measures, research and strengthened coordination and monitoring and evaluation, by,
inter alia, encouraging awareness-raising activities;
(r) Designing and implementing national policies and legal frameworks that
promote and protect the full enjoymen t of human rights and fundamental freedoms
by rural women and girls, and creating an environment that does not tolerate
violations or abuses of their rights, including domestic violence, sexual violence,
gender-based violence and discrimination, including multiple and intersecting forms
of discrimination;
(s) Promoting safe public spaces for women and girls in rural areas and
improving their security and safety, including in public transportation systems and
infrastructure, preventing and eliminating viole nce and harassment against women on
their journey to and from work, and protecting women and girls from being physically
threatened or assaulted, including from sexual violence, while collecting household
water and fuel and when accessing sanitation facili ties outside their homes or
practising open defecation;
(t) Ensuring that the rights of older women in rural areas are taken into account
with regard to their equal access to basic social services, appropriate social protection
and/or social security measures, equal access to and control of economic resources and
their empowerment through access to financial and infrastructure services, with
special focus on the provision of support to older women, including indigenous
women, who often have access to few r esources and are often more vulnerable;
(u) Valuing and supporting the critical role and contribution of rural women,
including indigenous women in rural areas, in the conservation and sustainable use
of traditional crops and biodiversity for present and future generations as an essential
contribution to food security and nutrition, recognizing that rural women are
disproportionately affected by biodiversity loss and land degradation and should
therefore be meaningfully engaged in efforts to address such m atters;
(v) Promoting the rights of women and girls with disabilities in rural areas,
including by ensuring access on an equal basis to productive employment and decent
Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas A/RES/76/140
21-19150 7/10
work, economic and financial resources and disability -sensitive infrastructure and
services, in particular in relation to health and education, as well as by ensuring that
their priorities and needs are fully incorporated into policies and programmes,
through, inter alia, their participation in decision -making processes;
(w) Developing specific assistance programmes and advisory services to
promote economic skills of rural women in banking, modern trading and financial
procedures, including financial literacy and consumer protection, and providing
microcredit and other financial and business services to a greater number of women in
rural areas, in particular female heads of households, for their economic empowerment;
(x) Supporting women entrepreneurs and women smallholder farmers, including
those in subsistence farming, by continuing to provide public investment and to
encourage private investment in rural women to close the gender gap in agriculture, and
facilitating their access to extension and financial services, agricultural inputs and land,
water, sanitation and irrigation, markets an d innovative technologies;
(y) Mobilizing resources, including at the national level and through official
development assistance, for increasing women’s access to existing savings and credit
schemes, as well as targeted programmes that provide women with capital, knowledge
and tools that enhance their economic capacities;
(z) Seeking to ensure and improve equal access for rural women to decent
work in agricultural and non -agricultural sectors, supporting and promoting
opportunities in small and medium-sized enterprises, sustainable social enterprises
and cooperatives and improving working conditions;
(aa) Investing in infrastructure and in time - and labour-saving technologies,
including sustainable energy, safe drinking water and sanitation and information and
communications technologies, especially in rural areas, benefiting w omen and girls
by reducing their burden of domestic activities, affording the opportunity for girls to
attend school and for women to engage in self -employment or to participate in the
labour market;
(bb) Taking appropriate measures to raise public awaren ess among rural
women and girls about the risks of trafficking in persons, including the factors that
make rural women and girls vulnerable to trafficking, and eliminating the demand
that fosters all forms of exploitation against them, including sexual exp loitation and
forced labour;
(cc) Supporting remunerative non-agricultural employment for rural women,
including in the informal sector, including measures to improve working conditions,
increase access to productive resources, invest in relevant infrastr ucture, public
services and time- and labour-saving technologies, promote rural women’s paid
employment in the formal economy and address the structural and underlying causes
of the difficult conditions faced by rural women;
(dd) Taking steps to build the capacities and skills of rural women and their
enterprises and cooperatives and to design or develop and implement procurement
policies and measures to enable rural women and their enterprises and cooperatives
to benefit from public and private sector pro curement processes, recognizing that the
promotion of rural women’s enterprises and cooperatives can sustainably contribute
to the economic empowerment of rural women;
(ee) Promoting programmes and services to enable rural women and men to
reconcile their work and family responsibilities and to encourage men throughout
their life cycle to share, equally with women and girls, household, childcare and other
care responsibilities;
A/RES/76/140 Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas
8/10 21-19150
(ff) Developing and adopting strategies to decrease women’s and girls’
vulnerability to environmental factors, including gender-responsive strategies on
mitigation and adaptation to climate change, to support the resilience and adaptive
capacities of women and girls to respond to the adverse effects of climate change,
through, inter alia, the promotion of their health and well -being, as well as access to
sustainable livelihoods, and the provision of adequate resources to ensure women’s
full participation in decision-making at all levels on environmental issues, in
particular on strategies and policies related to the impacts of climate change, such as
desertification, deforestation, sand and dust storms and natural disasters, persistent
drought, extreme weather events, sea level rise, coastal erosion and ocean
acidification and loss of biodiversity, on the lives of rural women and girls, and
ensuring the integration of their specific needs into humanitarian responses to natural
disasters, into the planning, delivery, implementation and monitoring of disaster risk
reduction policies, in particular urban and rural infrastructure and land -use planning
and resettlement and relocation planning during the aftermath of natural disasters,
and into sustainable natural resources management;
(gg) Building the resilience of rural women and girls, i n particular women
smallholder farmers, to climate change and environmental degradation (inter alia,
deforestation, desertification and the loss of agricultural biodiversity), including by
promoting appropriate use of relevant ancestral, indigenous and mod ern technological
practices and knowledge and strengthening access to extension services, information
and training;
(hh) Considering the adoption, where appropriate, of national legislation to
protect the knowledge, innovations and practices of women in i ndigenous and local
communities relating to traditional medicines, biodiversity and indigenous technologies;
(ii) Addressing the lack of quality, accessible, timely and reliable data
disaggregated by sex and age and statistical information on disabilities , to help with
the measurement of progress and to ensure that no one is left behind, including by
intensifying efforts to include women’s unpaid work in official statistics, and
developing a systematic and comparative research base on rural women that will
inform policy and programme decisions;
(jj) Strengthening the capacity of national statistical offices and other relevant
government institutions to collect, analyse and disseminate data, disaggregated by sex
and age, and gender statistics on time use, u npaid work, land tenure, energy, water
and sanitation, among other things, to support policies and actions to improve the
situation of rural women and girls and to monitor and track the implementation of
such policies and actions;
(kk) Guaranteeing the universal registration of births, including in rural areas,
and ensuring the timely registration of all marriages for individuals living in rural
areas, including by removing physical, administrative, procedural and any other
barriers that impede access to registration and by providing, where lacking,
mechanisms for the registration of customary and religious marriages, bearing in mind
the vital importance of birth registration for the realization of the rights of individuals;
(ll) Designing, revising and implementing laws to ensure that rural women are
accorded full and equal rights to own and lease land and other property, including
through the equal rights to economic and productive resources, access to basic
services, ownership and control over land and o ther forms of property, inheritance,
natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including
banking and microfinancing, and undertaking administrative reforms and all
necessary measures to give women the same right as men to credit , capital, finance,
Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas A/RES/76/140
21-19150 9/10
appropriate technologies and vocational training, to improve access to markets and
information and to ensure their equal access to justice and legal support;
(mm) Taking appropriate measures to adopt or develop legislation and policies
that provide rural women with access to land and support women’s cooperatives and
agricultural programmes, including for subsistence agriculture, in order to contribute
to school feeding programmes as a pull factor to keep children, in particular girl
children, in school, noting that school meals and take -home rations attract and retain
children in schools and recognizing that school feeding is an incentive to enhance
enrolment and reduce absenteeism, especially for girls;
(nn) Supporting a gender-sensitive education system, including through
approaches that attract and retain female students and teachers and that consider the
specific needs of rural women and girls in order to eliminate gender stereotypes and
discriminatory tendencies affecting them, incl uding through community-based
dialogue involving women and men and girls and boys;
(oo) Eliminating gender disparities in the realization of the right to education
and ensuring full and equal participation in and completion of inclusive quality
education (primary, secondary and tertiary education, including vocational and
technical education), as well as early childhood education, promoting lifelong
learning opportunities for rural women and girls and the elimination of female
illiteracy, including through eliminating the discriminatory policies of excluding
pregnant and married girls from schools, quality teacher training, recruitment and
retention of teachers in rural areas, especially women teachers where they are
underrepresented, and building gender-sensitive education facilities that provide a
safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environment for all and facilitate
an effective transition from education or unemployment to decent work;
(pp) Promoting education, training and relevant information programmes for
rural and farming women through the use of affordable and appropriate technologies
and the mass media, and taking concrete measures to improve rural women’s skills,
productivity and employment opportunities through technical, agricult ural and
vocational education and training;
3. Encourages Member States, United Nations entities and all other relevant
stakeholders to promote access to social protection for female -headed rural households;
4. Encourages Member States, appropriate United Nations entities and all
other relevant stakeholders to promote the full and equal participation of rural women,
including indigenous women as well as women farmers, fishers and agricultural
workers, in sustainable agricultural and rural development;
5. Requests the relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations
system, in particular those dealing with issues of development, to address and support
the empowerment of rural women and their specific needs in their programmes and
strategies;
6. Stresses the need to identify the best practices for ensuring that rural
women have access to and full and equal participation in the area of information and
communications technology, to address the priorities and needs of rural women and
girls as active users of information and to ensure their participation in developing and
implementing global, regional and national information and communications
technology strategies, taking appropriate educational measures to eliminate gender
stereotypes regarding women in the field of technology;
7. Encourages Member States to consider the concluding observations and
recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women and of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concerning
A/RES/76/140 Improvement of the situation of women and girls in rural areas
10/10 21-19150
their reports to those Committees when formulating policies and designing programmes
focused on the improvement of the situation of rural women, including those to be
developed and implemented in cooperation with relevant international organizations;
8. Invites Governments to promote the economic empowerment of rural
women, including through entrepreneurship training, and to adopt gender -responsive
and climate-sensitive rural development strategies and agricultural production,
including budget frameworks and relevant assessment measures, as well as to ensure
that the needs and priorities of rural women and girls are systematically addressed
and that they can effectively contribute to poverty alleviation, hunger eradication and
food security and nutrition;
9. Invites Governments, relevant international organizations, the specialized
agencies and civil society organizations to continue to observe the International Day
of Rural Women annually, on 15 October, as proclaimed by the General Assembly in
its resolution 62/136;
10. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its
seventy-eighth session a report on the improvement of the situation of women and
girls in rural areas.
53rd plenary meeting
16 December 2021
United Nations A/RES/76/300
General Assembly
Distr.: General
1 August 2022
22-11876 (E) 050822
*2211876*
Seventy-sixth session
Agenda item 74 (b)
Promotion and protection of human rights: human
rights questions, including alternative approaches for
improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 28 July 2022
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/76/L.75 and A/76/L.75/Add.1)]
76/300. The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
The General Assembly,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1 and the Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action, 2 recalling the Declaration on the Right to
Development, 3 the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment (Stockholm Declaration), 4 the Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development, 5 and relevant international human rights treaties, and noting other
relevant regional human rights instruments,
Reaffirming also that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent
and interrelated,
Reaffirming further its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled
“Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which
it adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and
transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its c ommitment to
working tirelessly for the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030 ensuring that
__________________
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
2 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.
3 Resolution 41/128, annex.
4 Report of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm, 5–16 June
1972 (A/CONF.48/14/Rev.1), part one, chap. I.
5 Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro,
3−14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication,
Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 1, annex I.
A/RES/76/300 The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
2/3 22-11876
no one is left behind, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and
dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an
indispensable requirement for sustainable development, and its commitment to
achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and
environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner,
Recalling States’ obligations and commitments under multilateral environmental
instruments and agreements, including on climate change, and the outcome of the
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, in June 2012, and its outcome document entitled “Th e future we want”,6 which
reaffirmed the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,
Recalling also Human Rights Council resolution 48/13 of 8 October 2021,
entitled “The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment”, 7
Recalling further all Human Rights Council resolutions on human rights and the
environment, including resolutions 44/7 of 16 July 2020,8 45/17 of 6 October 2020,9
45/30 of 7 October 202010 and 46/7 of 23 March 2021,11 and relevant resolutions of
the General Assembly,
Recognizing that sustainable development, in its three dimensions (social,
economic and environmental), and the protection of the environment, including
ecosystems, contribute to and promote human well -being and the full enjoyment of
all human rights, for present and future generations,
Recognizing also that, conversely, the impact of climate change, the
unsustainable management and use of natural resources, the pollution of air, land and
water, the unsound management of chemicals and waste, the resulting loss of
biodiversity and the decline in services provided by ecosystems interfere with the
enjoyment of a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and that environmental
damage has negative implications, both direct a nd indirect, for the effective
enjoyment of all human rights,
Reaffirming that international cooperation has an essential role in assisting
developing countries, including highly indebted poor countries, least developed
countries, landlocked developing co untries, small island developing States, as well as
the specific challenges faced by middle-income countries, in strengthening their
human, institutional and technological capacity,
Recognizing that, while the human rights implications of environmental da mage
are felt by individuals and communities around the world, the consequences are felt
most acutely by women and girls and those segments of the population that are already
in vulnerable situations, including indigenous peoples, children, older persons a nd
persons with disabilities,
Recognizing also the importance of gender equality, gender-responsive action
to address climate change and environmental degradation, the empowerment,
leadership, decision-making and full, equal and meaningful participation o f women
and girls, and the role that women play as managers, leaders and defenders of natural
resources and agents of change in safeguarding the environment,
Recognizing further that environmental degradation, climate change,
biodiversity loss, desertification and unsustainable development constitute some of
__________________
6 Resolution 66/288, annex.
7 Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53A
(A/76/53/Add.1), chap. II.
8 Ibid., Seventy-fifth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/75/53), chap. V, sect. A.
9 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/75/53/Add.1), chap. III.
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid., Seventy-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/76/53), chap. V, sect. A.
The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment A/RES/76/300
22-11876 3/3
the most pressing and serious threats to the ability of present and future generations
to effectively enjoy all human rights,
Recognizing that the exercise of human rights, including the rights to see k,
receive and impart information, to participate effectively in the conduct of
government and public affairs and to an effective remedy, is vital to the protection of
a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,
Reaffirming that States have the obligation to respect, protect and promote
human rights, including in all actions undertaken to address environmental
challenges, and to take measures to protect the human rights of all, as recognized in
different international instruments, and that additional me asures should be taken for
those who are particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation, noting the
framework principles on human rights and the environment, 12
Recalling the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, 13 which
underscore the responsibility of all business enterprises to respect human rights,
Affirming the importance of a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for
the enjoyment of all human rights,
Taking note of all the reports of the Special Rapporteur (formerly the
Independent Expert) on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the
enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, 14
Noting “The highest aspiration: a call to action f or human rights”, which the
Secretary-General presented to the Human Rights Council on 24 February 2020,
Noting also that a vast majority of States have recognized some form of the right
to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment through internation al agreements,
their national constitutions, legislation, laws or policies,
1. Recognizes the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a
human right;
2. Notes that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is
related to other rights and existing international law;
3. Affirms that the promotion of the human right to a clean, healthy and
sustainable environment requires the full implementation of the multilateral
environmental agreements under the principles of internation al environmental law;
4. Calls upon States, international organizations, business enterprises and
other relevant stakeholders to adopt policies, to enhance international cooperation,
strengthen capacity-building and continue to share good practices in ord er to scale up
efforts to ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all.
97th plenary meeting
28 July 2022
__________________
12 A/HRC/37/59, annex.
13 A/HRC/17/31, annex.
14 A/73/188, A/74/161, A/75/161, A/76/179, A/HRC/22/43, A/HRC/25/53, A/HRC/28/61,
A/HRC/31/52, A/HRC/31/53, A/HRC/34/49, A/HRC/37/58, A/HRC/37/59, A/HRC/40/55,
A/HRC/43/53, A/HRC/43/54, A/HRC/46/28 and A/HRC/49/53.
United Nations A/RES/77/212
General Assembly
Distr.: General
5 January 2023
22-28953 (E) 100123
*2228953*
Seventy-seventh session
Agenda item 68 (b)
Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights
questions, including alternative approaches for improving
the effective enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 15 December 2022
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/77/463/Add.2, para. 87)]
77/212. The right to development
The General Assembly,
Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, which expresses, in particular, the
determination to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom
and, to that end, to employ international mechanisms for the promotion of the
economic and social advancement of all peoples,
Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,1 as well as the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights2 and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights,3
Recalling also the outcomes of all the major United Nations conferences and
summits in the economic and social fields,
Recalling further the Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the
General Assembly in its resolution 41/128 of 4 December 1986, which confirmed that
the right to development is an inalienable human right and that equality of opportunity
for development is a prerogative both of nations and of individuals who make up
nations, and that the individual is the central subject and beneficiary of development,
Emphasizing the urgent need to make the right to development a reality for
everyone,
__________________
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
2 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3 Ibid.
A/RES/77/212 The right to development
2/12 22-28953
Reaffirming that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and
interrelated and that they must be treated globally, in a fair and equal manner, on the
same footing and with the same emphasis,
Stressing the importance of the World Conference on Human Rights, held i n
Vienna in 1993, and that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action 4
reaffirmed the right to development as a universal and inalienable right and an integral
part of fundamental human rights and the individual as the central subject and
beneficiary of development,
Welcoming in this regard the upcoming thirtieth anniversary, in 2023, of the
adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and stressing the need
to strengthen efforts towards its implementation,
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, 5
Recognizing the importance of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, 6 reaffirming that the Declaration on the Right to Development
informed the 2030 Agenda, along with other relevant international instruments, and
underlining the fact that the Sustainable Development Goals can be realized only
through a credible, effective and universal commitment to the means of
implementation by all stakeholders,
Recognizing also the successful conclusion of the United Nations Conference
on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), held in Quito from
17 to 20 October 2016, that recognizes that the New Urban Agenda 7 is grounded in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international human rights treaties, the
Millennium Declaration and the 2005 World Summit Outcome 8 and is informed by
other instruments such as the Declaration on the Right to Development,
Recalling the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we want”, 9
Reaffirming the universality, indivisibility, interrelatedness, interdependence
and mutually reinforcing nature of all human rights, including civil, cultural,
economic, political and social rights, including the right to development, and that they
must be treated globally, in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the
same emphasis,
Recalling the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the
World Conference on Indigenous Peoples and its outcome document, 10
Deeply concerned that the majority of Indigenous Peoples in the world live in
conditions of poverty, and recognizing the critical need to address the negative impact
of poverty and inequity on Indigenous Peoples by ensuring their full and effective
inclusion in development and poverty eradication programmes,
Reaffirming that democracy, development and respect for all human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all are interdependent and mutually reinforcing and that
democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own
__________________
4 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I) , chap. III.
5 Resolution 55/2.
6 Resolution 70/1.
7 Resolution 71/256, annex.
8 Resolution 60/1.
9 Resolution 66/288, annex.
10 Resolution 69/2.
The right to development A/RES/77/212
22-28953 3/12
political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all
aspects of their lives, and in that context noting that the promotion and protection of
human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels should
be universal and conducted without conditions attached and that the international
community should support the strengthening and promotion of democracy,
development and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all in the
entire world,
Recognizing that inequality is a major obstacle to the realization of the right to
development within and across countries,
Taking note of the commitment declared by a number of specialized agencies,
funds and programmes of the United Nations system and other international
organizations to make the right to development a reality for all, and in this regard
urging all relevant bodies of the United Nations system and other international
organizations to mainstream the right to development into their objectives, policies,
programmes and operational activities, as well as into development and development -
related processes, including the follow-up to the Fourth United Nations Conference
on the Least Developed Countries,
Recalling the outcomes adopted at the Tenth Ministerial Conference of the
World Trade Organization, held in Nairobi from 15 to 19 December 2015,
Calling for a successful, development-oriented outcome of the trade
negotiations of the World Trade Organization, in particular on the remaining issues
of the Doha Development Round, as a contribution to the creation of international
conditions permitting the full realization of the right to development,
Recalling the outcome of the fourteenth session of the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development, held in Nairobi from 17 to 22 July 2016, on
the theme “From decision to action: moving towards an inclusive and equitable glob al
economic environment for trade and development”, 11
Recalling also all its previous resolutions on the subject, the most recent of
which was resolution 76/163 of 16 December 2021, as well as Human Rights Council
resolutions and those of the Commission on Human Rights on the right to
development, in particular Commission resolution 1998/72 of 22 April 1998 12 on the
urgent need to make further progress towards the realization of the right to
development,
Recalling further Human Rights Council resolution 35/21 of 22 June 2017 on
the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights, 13
Recalling the Eighteenth Summit of Heads of State and Government of
Non-Aligned Countries, held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, on 25 and 26 October
2019, and the previous summits and conferences at which the States members of the
Movement of Non-Aligned Countries stressed the need to operationalize the right to
development as a priority, including through the elaboration of a convention on the
right to development by the relevant machinery, taking into account the
recommendations of relevant initiatives,
__________________
11 See TD/519, TD/519/Add.1, TD/519/Add.2 and TD/519/Add.2/Corr.1.
12 See Official Records of the Economic and So cial Council, 1998, Supplement No. 3 (E/1998/23 ),
chap. II, sect. A.
13 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy -second Session, Supplement No. 53
(A/72/53), chap. V, sect. A.
A/RES/77/212 The right to development
4/12 22-28953
Reiterating its continuing support for the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development14 as a development framework for Africa,
Deeply concerned about the negative impacts of the global economic and
financial crises on the realization of the right to development,
Recognizing that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the
greatest global challenges in the history of the United Nations, and noting with deep
concern its impact on health and the loss of life, mental health and well -being, as well
as the negative impact on global humanitarian needs, the enjoyment of human rights
and across all spheres of society, including on livelihoods, food security and nutrition,
and education, the exacerbation of poverty and hunger, disruption to economies,
trade, societies and environments, and the exacerbation of economic and social
inequalities within and among countries,
Recognizing also that the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit by the
pandemic and that the impact of the crisis will reverse hard -won development gains
and hamper progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as well
as progress with regard to the right to development,
Deeply concerned about the uneven access of developing countries to safe,
quality, efficacious, effective, accessible and affordable vaccines against COVID -19,
and emphasizing that the realization of the right to development would enhance the
capacities of developing countries to have equal access to vaccines and other means
to respond to and recover from the pandemic, as well as the need to strengthen the
support for national, bilateral, regional and multilateral initiatives that aim to
accelerate the development and production of and equitable access to COVID -19
diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines,
Recognizing that, while development facilitates the enjoyment of all human
rights, the lack of development may not be invoked to justify the abridgement o f
internationally recognized human rights,
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 coop eration, 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 requ ires effective
development policies at the national level, as well as equitable economic relations
and a favourable economic environment at the international level,
Recognizing further that poverty is an affront to human dignity,
Recognizing that extreme poverty and hunger are among the greatest global
threats and require the collective commitment of the international community for their
eradication, pursuant to Millennium Development Goal 1 and Sustainable Development
Goals 1 and 2, and therefore calling upon the international community, including the
Human Rights Council, to contribute towards achieving that goal,
Recognizing also that historical injustices, inter alia, have contributed to the
poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion , economic disparity,
instability and insecurity that affect many people in different parts of the world, in
particular in developing countries,
Recognizing further that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions,
including extreme poverty, is one of the critical elements in the promotion and
realization of the right to development and is the greatest global challenge and an
__________________
14 A/57/304, annex.
The right to development A/RES/77/212
22-28953 5/12
indispensable requirement for sustainable development, which requires a
multifaceted and integrated approach, and committed to achieving sustainable
development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a
balanced and integrated manner,
Emphasizing that all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the
right to development, are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated,
Emphasizing also that the right to development is vital for the full realization of
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and should be central to its
implementation,
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 for Sustainable Development 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,
1. Takes note of the consolidated report of the Secretary-General and the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concerning the promotion and
realization of the right to development;15
2. Acknowledges the need to strive for greater acceptance, operationalization
and realization of the right to development at the international level while urging all
States to undertake at the national level the necessa ry policy formulation and to
institute the measures required for the implementation of the right to development as
an integral part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms;
3. Emphasizes the relevant provisions of General Assembly resolution
60/251 of 15 March 2006 establishing the Human Rights Council, and in this regard
calls upon the Council to implement the agreement to continue to act to ensure that
its agenda promotes and advances sustainable de velopment, including the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to build on the Millennium
Development Goals and complete what they did not achieve, and also in this regard
to lead the raising of the right to development, as set out in paragr aphs 5 and 10 of
the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, to the same level as and on a par
with all other human rights and fundamental freedoms;
4. Supports the realization of the mandate of the Working Group on the Right
to Development, 16 and recognizes the need for renewed efforts with a view to
overcoming the existing political impasse within the Working Group and to fulfil at
the earliest its mandate as established by the Commission on Human Rights in its
resolution 1998/72 and the Human Rights Council in its resolution 4/4 of 30 March
2007;17
5. Stresses the importance of the core principles contained in the conclusions
of the Working Group at its third session 18 that are congruent with the purpose of
international human rights instruments, such as equality, non -discrimination,
accountability, participation and international cooperation, as critical to mainstreaming
__________________
15 A/HRC/51/22.
16 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty -third Session, Supplement No. 53A
(A/63/53/Add.1 ), chap. I.
17 Ibid., Sixty -second Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/62/53 ), chap. III, sect. A.
18 See E/CN.4/2002/28/Rev.1, sect. VIII.A.
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the right to development at the national and international levels, and underlines the
importance of the principles of equity and transparency;
6. Takes note of the report of the Working Group on its twenty-first session;19
7. Notes the presentation to the Working Group at its nineteenth session of
the set of standards for the implementation of the right to development prepared by
the Chair-Rapporteur, 20 which is a useful basis for further deliberations on the
implementation and realization of the right to development;
8. Calls upon Member States to contribute to the efforts of the Working
Group, including, inter alia, on the elaboration of a draft legally binding instrument
on the right to development on the basis of the draft prepared by the Chair-Rapporteur,
as decided by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 42/23 of 27 September
2019,21 and in this regard notes the report of the Chair-Rapporteur entitled “Draft
convention on the right to development”,22 submitted to the Working Group at its
twenty-first session;
9. Stresses that it is important that the Chair-Rapporteur and the Working
Group, in the discharge of their mandates, take into account the need:
(a) To promote the democratization of the system of international governance
in order to increase the effective participation of developing countries in international
decision-making;
(b) To also promote effective partnerships such as the New Partnership for
Africa’s Development and other similar initiatives with the developing countries,
particularly the least developed countries, for the purpose of the realization of their
right to development, including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;
(c) To strive for greater acceptance, operationalization and realization of the
right to development at the international level, while urging all States to undertake at
the national level the necessary policy formulation and t o institute the measures
required for the implementation of the right to development as an integral part of all
human rights and fundamental freedoms, and also while urging all States to expand
and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in ensuring development and eliminating
obstacles to development in the context of promoting effective international
cooperation for the realization of the right to development, bearing in mind that
lasting progress towards the implementation of the right to development requ ires
effective development policies at the national level and a favourable economic
environment at the international level;
(d) To consider ways and means to continue to ensure the operationalization
of the right to development as a priority, including in the context of the response to
and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, through equitable and fair access for
all countries, particularly the most vulnerable countries and countries in special
situations, to vaccines and medicines as global public goo ds, sharing the benefits of
scientific progress, financial and technological support and debt relief;
(e) To mainstream the right to development into the policies and operational
activities of the specialized agencies, funds and programmes of the United N ations
system, 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 equit y,
__________________
19 A/HRC/48/64.
20 A/HRC/WG.2/17/2.
21 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy -fourth Session, Supplement No. 53A
(A/74/53/Add.1 ), chap. III.
22 A/HRC/WG.2/21/2.
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22-28953 7/12
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;
10. Encourages the Human Rights Council to continue to consider how to
ensure follow-up to the work of the former Subcommission on the Promoti on and
Protection of Human Rights on the right to development, in accordance with the
relevant provisions of the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the
Commission on Human Rights and in compliance with decisions to be taken by the
Council;
11. Takes note of the convening, in 2022, of the fifth and sixth sessions the
Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, established by the Human Rights
Council in its resolution 42/23, and noting the annual report of the Expert Mechanism;23
12. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Special Rapporteur of the
Human Rights Council on the right to development,24 in which the Special Rapporteur
examines the response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic from the
perspective of the right to development at the international level;
13. Stresses that South-South cooperation is not a substitute for, but rather a
complement to, North-South cooperation and hence should not result in a reduction
of North-South cooperation or hamper progress in fulfilling existing official
development assistance commitments, and encourages Member States and other
relevant stakeholders to incorporate the right to development into the design,
financing and implementation of cooperation processes;
14. Urges Member States, the Office of the United Nations High Commissione r
for Human Rights and other relevant specialized agencies, funds and programmes of
the United Nations system to provide the Special Rapporteur on the right to
development with all the assistance and support necessary for the fulfilment of his
mandate;
15. Reaffirms the commitment to implement the goals and targets set out in all
the outcome documents of the major United Nations conferences and summits and
their review processes, in particular those relating to the realization of the right to
development, recognizing that the realization of the right to development is critical
to achieving the objectives, goals and targets set out in those outcome documents;
16. Also reaffirms that the realization of the right to development is essential
to the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which
regards all human rights as universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated,
places the human person at the centre of development and recognizes that, while
development facilitates the enjoyment of all human rights, a lack of development may
not be invoked to justify the abridgement of internationally recognized human rights;
17. Further reaffirms that development contributes significantly to the
enjoyment of all human rights by all, and calls upon all countries to realize people -
centred development of the people, by the people and for the people;
18. Calls upon all States to spare no effort in promoting and protecting all
human rights for all, including the right to development, in parti cular while
implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and responding to and
__________________
23 A/HRC/51/36.
24 A/77/174.
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recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is conducive to the overall enjoyment
of human rights;
19. Stresses that the primary responsibility for the promotion a nd protection
of all human rights lies with the State, and reaffirms that States have the primary
responsibility for their own economic and social development and that the role of
national policies and development strategies cannot be overemphasized;
20. 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;
21. Also reaffirms its commitment to international cooperation and
multilateralism and its strong support for the central role of the United Nations system
in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
22. Further reaffirms its resolution 74/274 of 20 April 2020, in which it
recognized the importance of international cooperation and effective multilateralism
in helping to ensure that all States have in place effective national protective
measures, access to and flow of vital medica l supplies, therapeutics, medicines and
vaccines, in order to minimize negative effects in all affected States and to avoid
relapses of the COVID-19 pandemic;
23. Calls upon Member States and relevant stakeholders to strengthen
international cooperation, as well as their support for multilateral efforts and for the
central role of the United Nations system, in order to mobilize a coordinated global
response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse social, economic and financial
impact on all societies that contributes to the realization of the right to development
and leaves no one behind;
24. Expresses concern about the increasing cases of human rights violations
and abuses by some transnational corporations and other business enterprises,
underlines the need to ensure that appropriate protection, justice and remedies are
provided to the victims of human rights violations and abuses resulting from their
activities, and underscores the fact that these entities must contribute to the means of
implementation for the realization of the right to development;
25. Reaffirms the need for an international environment that is conducive to
the realization of the right to development;
26. 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, including in the context of the response to and the recovery from
the COVID-19 pandemic;
27. Reaffirms that, while globalization offers both opportunities and challenges,
the process of globalization remains deficient in achieving the objectives of integrating
all countries into a globalized world, stresses the need for policies and measures at
the national and global levels to respond to the challenges and opportunities of
globalization if this process is to be made fully inclusive and equitable, and
recognizes that globalization has brought disparities between and within countries
and that issues such as trade and trade liberalization, the transfer of technology,
infrastructure development and market access should be managed effectively in order
to mitigate the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment and to make the right to
development a reality for everyone;
28. Recognizes that, despite continuous efforts on the part of the international
community, the gap between developed and developing countries remains unacceptably
wide, that most of the developing countries continue to face difficulties in
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participating in the globalization process and that many risk being marginalized and
effectively excluded from its benefits;
29. Expresses its deep concern, in this regard, about the negative impact on
the realization of the right to development owing to the fu rther aggravation of the
economic and social situation, in particular of developing countries, as a result of the
effects of international energy, food and financial crises, as well as the increasing
challenges posed by global climate change and the loss o f biodiversity, which have
increased vulnerabilities and inequalities and have adversely affected development
gains, in particular in developing countries;
30. Encourages Member States to give particular consideration to the right to
development in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
and emphasizes that the 2030 Agenda promotes respect for all human rights, including
the right to development;
31. Recalls the commitment in the United Nations Millennium Declaration 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 developin g countries towards achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals;
32. 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 the 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;
33. 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;
34. 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, wi th 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;
35. 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 govern ance 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;
36. Also recognizes that good governance and the rule of law at the nat ional
level assist all States in the promotion and protection of human rights, including the
right to development, and agrees on the value of the ongoing efforts being made by
States to identify and strengthen good governance practices, including transpare nt,
responsible, accountable and participatory government, that are responsive and
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appropriate to their needs and aspirations, including in the context of agreed
partnership approaches to development, capacity-building and technical assistance;
37. Further recognizes the important role and the rights of women and the
application of a gender perspective as a cross-cutting issue in the process of realizing
the right to development, and notes in particular the positive relationship between the
education of women and their equal participation in the civil, cultural, economic,
political and social activities of the community and the promotion of the right to
development;
38. Stresses the need for the integration of the rights of children, girls and boys
alike, in all policies and programmes and for ensuring the promotion and protection
of those rights, especially in areas relating to health, education and the full
development of their capacities;
39. Recalls the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Ine qualities
and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030, adopted on 8 June 2021 at the high -level
meeting of the General Assembly on HIV and AIDS, 25 and underscores the
importance of enhanced international cooperation to support the efforts of Member
States to achieve health goals, including the target of ending the AIDS epidemic by
2030, implement universal access to health-care services and address health
challenges;
40. Also recalls the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the
General Assembly on the prevention and control of non -communicable diseases26 and
the political declaration of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the
fight against tuberculosis, 27 both adopted on 10 October 2018, with their particular
focus on development and other challenges and social and economic determinants and
impacts, particularly for developing countries;
41. Further recalls the political declaration of the high-level meeting on
universal health coverage entitled “Universal health coverage: mov ing together to
build a healthier world”, as adopted in its resolution 74/2 of 10 October 2019, in
which it was reaffirmed that health is a precondition for and an outcome and indicator
of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development
and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
42. Recalls the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,28 which
entered into force on 3 May 2008, and General Assembly resolution 70/1 of
25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development”, and, while recognizing persons with disabilities as agents and
beneficiaries of development, stresses the need to take into consideration the rights
of persons with disabilities and the importance of international cooperation in support
of national efforts in the realization of the right to development;
43. 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;
__________________
25 Resolution 75/284, annex.
26 Resolution 73/2.
27 Resolution 73/3.
28 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2515, No. 44910.
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44. 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;
45. Emphasizes the urgent need to take 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 Co rruption, 29 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;
46. Also emphasizes the need to strengthen further the activities of the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the promotion and
realization of the right to development, including by ensuring the effective use of the
financial and human resources necessary to fulfil its mandate, and calls upon the
Secretary-General to provide the Office with the necessary resources;
47. Reaffirms the request to the High Commissioner, in mainstreaming the
right to development, to effectively undertake activities aimed at strengthening the
global partnership for development among Member States, development agencies and
the international development, financial and trade institutions and to reflect those
activities in detail in his next report to the Human Rights Council;
48. Calls upon the specialized agencies, funds and programmes of the United
Nations system to mainstream the right to development into their operational
programmes and objectives, and stresses the need for the international financial and
multilateral trading systems to mainstream the right to development into their policies
and objectives;
49. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the
attention of Member States, United Nations organs and bodies, the specialized
agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system, international
development and financial institutions, in particular the Bretton Woods institutions,
and non-governmental organizations;
50. Encourages 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 for Sustainable Development, to contribute further to the work of the
Working Group on the Right to Development and the Special Rapporteur on the right
to development and to cooperate with the High Commissioner in the fulfilment of his
mandate with regard to the implementation of the right to development;
51. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly
at its seventy-eighth session and an interim report to the Human Rights Council on
the implementation of the present resolution, including on efforts undertaken at the
national, regional and international levels in the promotion and realization of the right
to development, taking into account the context of the response to and the recovery
from the COVID-19 pandemic, through equitable and fair access for all countries, in
particular the most vulnerable countries and countries in special situations, to safe,
quality, efficacious, effective, accessible and a ffordable vaccines and medicines as
__________________
29 Ibid., vol. 2349, No. 42146.
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global public goods, as well as to promote global extensive immunization against
COVID-19, sharing the benefits of scientific progress, financial and technological
support and debt relief, and invites the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group and
the Special Rapporteur to present an oral report with a similar scope and to engage in
an interactive dialogue with the Assembly at its seventy -eighth session.
54th plenary meeting
15 December 2022
United Nations A/RES/77/215
General Assembly
Distr.: General
5 January 2023
22-28956 (E) 100123
*2228956*
Seventy-seventh session
Agenda item 68 (b)
Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights
questions, including alternative approaches for improving
the effective enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 15 December 2022
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/77/463/Add.2, para. 87)]
77/215. Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order
The General Assembly,
Recalling its previous resolutions on the promotion of a democratic and
equitable international order, including resolution 76/165 of 16 December 2021, and
Human Rights Council resolutions 18/6 of 29 September 2011,1 33/3 of 29 September
2016, 2 36/4 of 28 September 2017, 3 39/4 of 27 September 2018, 4 42/8 of
26 September 2019,5 45/4 of 6 October 2020,6 48/8 of 8 October 20217 and 51/11 of
6 October 2022,8
Reaffirming the commitment of all States to fulfil their obligations to promote
universal respect for, and observance and protection of, all human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,
other instruments relating to human rig hts and international law,
Affirming that the enhancement of international cooperation for the promotion
and protection of all human rights for all should continue to be carried out in full
conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter and in ternational law, as
__________________
1 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty -sixth Session, Supplement No. 53A and
corrigendum (A/66/53/Add.1 and A/66/53/Add.1/Corr.1), chap. II.
2 Ibid., Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 53A and corrigendum (A/71/53/Add.1 and
A/71/53/Add.1/Corr.1), chap. II.
3 Ibid., Seventy-second Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/72/53/Add.1), chap. III.
4 Ibid., Seventy-third Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/73/53/Add.1), chap. III.
5 Ibid., Seventy-fourth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/74/53/Add.1), chap. III.
6 Ibid., Seventy-fifth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/75/53/Add.1), chap. III.
7 Ibid., Seventy-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/76/53/Add.1), chap. III.
8 Ibid., Seventy-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/77/53/Add.1), chap. III.
A/RES/77/215 Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order
2/7 22-28956
set forth in Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter, and with full respect for, inter alia,
sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, the non -use of force or the
threat of force in international relations and non -intervention in matters that are
essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State,
Recalling the Preamble to the Charter, in particular the determination to reaffirm
faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and
in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,
Reaffirming that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which
the rights and freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 9 can
be fully realized,
Reaffirming also the determination expressed in the Preamble to the Charter to
save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to establish conditions under
which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources
of international law can be maintained, to promote social progress and better
standards of life in larger freedom, to practise tolerance and good -neighbourliness
and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social
advancement of all peoples,
Stressing that the responsibility for managing worldwide economic and social
issues, including pandemics and other health -related global challenges, as well as
threats to international peace and security, must be shared among the nations of the
world and should be exercised multilaterally, and that in this regard the central role
must be played by the United Nations, as the most universal and representative
organization in the world,
Concerned about the continued abuse by Member States of the extraterritorial
application of their national legislation in a manner that affects the sovereignty of
other States, the legitimate interests of entities or persons under their jurisdiction and
the full enjoyment of human rights,
Considering the major changes taking place on the international scene and the
aspirations of all peoples for an international order based on the principles enshrined
in the Charter, including promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all and respect for the princip le of equal rights and selfdetermination
of peoples, peace, democracy, justice, equality, the rule of law,
pluralism, development, better standards of living and solidarity,
Recognizing that the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of
human rights is essential for the full achievement of the purposes of the United
Nations, including the effective promotion and protection of all human rights for all,
Considering that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all
human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is
entitled to all the rights and freedoms set out therein, without distinction of any kind,
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or
social origin, property, birth or other status,
Reaffirming that democracy, development and respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing and that
democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to deter mine their own
political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all
aspects of their lives,
Recognizing that the promotion and protection of human rights should be based
on the principle of cooperation and genuine dialogue and aimed at strengthening the
__________________
9 Resolution 217 A (III).
Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order A/RES/77/215
22-28956 3/7
capacity of Member States to comply with their human rights obligations for the
benefit of all human beings,
Emphasizing that democracy is not only a political concept, but that it also has
economic and social dimensions,
Recognizing that democracy, respect for all human rights, including the right to
development, transparent and accountable governance and administration in all
sectors of society and effective participation by civil society are an essential part of
the necessary foundations for the realization of social and people -centred sustainable
development,
Welcoming in this regard the upcoming thirti eth anniversary, in 2023, of the
adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action 10 by the World
Conference on Human Rights, and stressing the need to strengthen efforts towards its
implementation,
Noting with concern that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance may be aggravated by, inter alia, inequitable distribution of wealth,
marginalization and social exclusion,
Reaffirming that dialogue among religions, cultures and civilizations could
contribute greatly to the enhancement of international cooperation at all levels,
Underlining the fact that it is imperative for the international community to
ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the world’s people and that
only through broad and sustained efforts, based on our common humanity in all its
diversity, can globalization be made fully inclusive and equitable,
Deeply concerned that the current global economic, financial, energy and food
crises, resulting from a combination of several major factors, including
macroeconomic and other factors, such as environmental degradation, desertification
and global climate change, natural disasters and the lack of financial resources and
the technology necessary to confront their negative impact in developing cou ntries,
particularly in the least developed countries and small island developing States,
represent a global scenario that is threatening the adequate enjoyment of all human
rights and widening the gap between developed and developing countries,
Recognizing that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the
greatest global challenges in the history of the United Nations, and noting with deep
concern its impact on health and the loss of life, mental health and well -being, as well
as the negative impact on global humanitarian needs, the enjoyment of human rights
and across all spheres of society, including on livelihoods, food security and nutrition,
and education, the exacerbation of poverty and hunger, disruption to economies,
trade, societies and environments, and the exacerbation of economic and social
inequalities within and among countries, which is reversing hard -won development
gains and hampering progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development11 and all its Goals and targets,
Reaffirming its commitment to international cooperation and multilateralism
and its strong support for the central role of the United Nations system, recognizing
the key leadership role of the World Health Organization in the global response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and recognizing also that a democratic and equitable
international order enhances the capacities of all countries to respond to and recover
from the pandemic and other global challenges,
__________________
10 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.
11 Resolution 70/1.
A/RES/77/215 Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order
4/7 22-28956
Recognizing the role of extensive immunization against COVID-19 as a global
public good for health in preventing, containing and stopping transmission in order
to bring the pandemic to an end, through global access to vaccines that are safe, of
quality, efficacious, effective and affordable for all c ountries,
Deeply concerned about the uneven access of developing countries to safe,
quality, efficacious, effective and affordable vaccines against COVID -19, and
emphasizing that a multilateral approach, based on a democratic and equitable
international order, enhances the capacities of all countries, in particular developing
countries, to have equal access to vaccines and other means to respond to and recover
from the pandemic,
Recognizing that a democratic and equitable order requires the reform of
international financial institutions, in order to widen and strengthen the level of
participation of developing countries in the international decision -making process,
and a more transparent and open financial system, as well as adequate measures
against illicit financial flows, such as tax fraud, tax evasion, illegal capital flight,
money-laundering and the proceeds of corruption, and for improving tax transparency
worldwide,
Stressing that efforts to make globalization fully inclusive and equitable must
include policies and measures at the global level that correspond to the needs of
developing countries and countries with economies in transition and are formulated
and implemented with their effective participation,
Stressing also the need for adequate financing of, technology transfer to and
capacity-building in developing countries, in particular the least developed countries,
landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, including to
support their efforts to adapt to climate change,
Having listened to the peoples of the world, and recognizing their aspirations to
justice, to equality of opportunity for all, to the enjoyment of their human rights,
including the right to development, to live in peace and freedom and to equal
participation without discrimination in economic, social, cultural, civil and political
life,
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 2007,12 and stressing that all mandate holders shall discharge
their duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,
Emphasizing the importance of the 2030 Agenda for the promotion of a
democratic and equitable international order,
Resolved to take all measures within its power to secure a democratic and
equitable international order,
1. Affirms that everyone is entitled to a democratic and equitable
international order;
2. Also affirms that a democratic and equitable international order fosters the
full realization of all human rights for all;
3. Takes note of the report of the Independent Exp ert of the Human Rights
Council on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; 13
__________________
12 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty -second Session, Supplement No. 53
(A/62/53), chap. IV, sect. A.
13 A/HRC/51/32.
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4. Calls upon all Member States to fulfil their commitment expressed in
Durban, South Africa, during the World Conference against Racism, Racial
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to maximize the benefits of
globalization through, inter alia, the strengthening and enhancement of international
cooperation to increase equality of opportunities for trade, economic growth and
sustainable development, global communications through the use of new technologies
and increased intercultural exchange through the preservation and promotion of
cultural diversity,14 and reiterates that only through broad and sustained efforts to
create a shared future based upon our common humanity and all its diversity can
globalization be made fully inclusive and equitable;
5. Reaffirms that democracy includes respect for all human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all and is a universal value based on the freely exp ressed
will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems
and their full participation in all aspects of their lives, and re -emphasizes the need for
universal adherence to and implementation of the rule of law at both th e national and
international levels;
6. Affirms that a democratic and equitable international order requires, inter
alia, the realization of the following:
(a) The right of all peoples to self-determination, by virtue of which they can
freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and
cultural development;
(b) The right of peoples and nations to permanent sovereignty over their
natural wealth and resources;
(c) The right of every human person and all peoples to develop ment;
(d) The right of all peoples to peace;
(e) The right to an international economic order based on equal participation
in the decision-making process, interdependence, mutual interest, solidarity and
cooperation among all States;
(f) International solidarity, as a right of peoples and individuals;
(g) The promotion and consolidation of transparent, democratic, just and
accountable international institutions in all areas of cooperation, in particular through
the implementation of the principle of full and equal participation in their respective
decision-making mechanisms;
(h) The right to equitable participation of all, without any discrimination, in
domestic and global decision-making;
(i) The principle of equitable regional and gender-balanced representation in
the composition of the staff of the United Nations system;
(j) The promotion of a free, just, effective and balanced international
information and communications order based on international cooperation for the
establishment of a new equilibrium and greater reciprocity in the international flow
of information, in particular correcting the inequalities in the flow of information to
and from developing countries;
(k) Respect for cultural diversity and the cultural rights of all, since this
enhances cultural pluralism, contributes to a wider exchange of knowledge and
understanding of cultural backgrounds, advances the application and enjoyment of
universally accepted human rights across the world and fosters stable, friendly
relations among peoples and nations worldwide;
__________________
14 See A/CONF.189/12 and A/CONF.189/12/Corr.1, chap. I.
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(l) The right of every person and all peoples to a healthy environment and to
enhanced international cooperation that responds effectively to the needs for
assistance of national efforts to adapt to climate change, particularly in developing
countries, and that promotes the fulfilment of international agreements in the field of
mitigation;
(m) The promotion of equitable access to benefits from the international
distribution of wealth through enhanced international cooperation, in particular in
international economic, commercial and financial relations;
(n) The enjoyment by everyone of ownership of the common heritage of
humankind in connection to the public right of access to culture;
(o) The shared responsibility of the natio ns of the world for managing
worldwide economic and social development, including addressing pandemics and
other health-related global challenges, as well as threats to international peace and
security, which should be exercised multilaterally;
7. Stresses the importance of preserving the rich and diverse nature of the
international community of nations and peoples, as well as respect for national and
regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds, in
the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights;
8. Also stresses that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent
and interrelated and that the international community must treat human rights globally
in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis, and
reaffirms that, while the significance of national and regional particularities and various
historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of
States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and
protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all;
9. Reaffirms, among other principles, the sovereign equality of States,
non-intervention and non-interference in internal affairs;
10. Urges all actors on the international scene to build an international order
based on inclusion, social justice, equality and equity, human dignity, solidarity,
mutual understanding and promotion of and respect for cultural diversity and
universal human rights and to reject all doctrines of exclusion based on racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
11. Reaffirms that all States should promote the establishment, maintenance
and strengthening of international peace and security and, to that end, should do their
utmost to achieve general and complete disarmament under effective international
control, as well as to ensure that the resources released by effective disarmament
measures are used for comprehensive development, in particular that of the
developing countries;
12. Underlines that attempts to overthrow legitimate Governments by force
disrupt the democratic and constitutional order, the legitimate exercise of power and
the full enjoyment of human rights, and reaffirms that every State has an inalienable
right to choose its political, economic, social and cultural system, without interference
in any form by other States;
13. Reaffirms the need to continue working urgently for the establishment of
a new international economic order based on equity, sovereign equality,
interdependence, common interest and cooperation among all States, irrespective of
their economic and social systems, which shall correct inequalities and redress
existing injustices, make it possible to eliminate the widening gap between the
developed and the developing countries and ensure steadily accelerating economic
and social development and peace and justice for present and future generations, in
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accordance with relevant previous General Assembly resolutions, programmes of
action and major conferences and summits in the economic, social and related areas;
14. Also reaffirms that the international community should devise ways and
means to remove the current obstacles and meet the challenges to the full realization
of all human rights for all and to prevent the continuation of human rights violations
resulting therefrom throughout the world;
15. Urges States to continue their efforts, through enhanced international
cooperation, towards the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order;
16. Calls upon Member States to continue to support international cooperation
and multilateral efforts, under the leadership of the United Nations system and in
particular the World Health Organization, and to work with all relevant actors to
mobilize a coordinated global response to the COVID -19 pandemic and its adverse
social, economic and financial impact on all societies that contributes to a more
democratic and equitable international order;
17. Affirms that a democratic and equitable international order, as prescribed
in the Charter of the United Nations, cannot be achieved o nly through the deregulation
of trade, markets and financial services;
18. Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide all the human and financial
resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate of the Independent
Expert;
19. Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Independent
Expert in his task, to supply all necessary information requested by him and to
consider responding favourably to the requests o f the Independent Expert to visit their
countries to enable him to fulfil his mandate more effectively;
20. Requests the Human Rights Council, the human rights treaty bodies, the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the special
mechanisms extended by the Council and the Human Rights Council Advisory
Committee to pay due attention, within their respective mandates, to the present
resolution and to make contributions towards its implementation;
21. Calls upon the Office of the High Commissioner to build upon the issue
of the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order;
22. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the
attention of Member States, United Nations organs, bodies and components,
intergovernmental organizations, in particular the Bretton Woods institutions, and
non-governmental organizations and to disseminate it on the widest possible basis;
23. Requests the Independent Expert to submit to the General Assembly at its
seventy-eighth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, and
on the role of a democratic and equitable international order in facilitating the
recovery of developing countries from the COVID-19 pandemic, including their equal
access to safe, quality, efficacious, effective and affordable vaccines;
24. Decides to continue consideration of the matter at its seventy -eighth
session under the item entitled “Promotion and protection of human rights”.
54th plenary meeting
15 December 2022
United Nations A/RES/77/217
General Assembly
Distr.: General
5 January 2023
22-28961 (E) 100123
*2228961*
Seventy-seventh session
Agenda item 68 (b)
Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights
questions, including alternative approaches for improving
the effective enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 15 December 2022
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/77/463/Add.2, para. 87)]
77/217. The right to food
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations and its importance for the
promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all,
Reaffirming also previous resolutions and decisions on the right to food adopted
within the framework of the Unite d Nations,
Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1 which provides that
everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for her or his health and well -
being, including food, the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and
Malnutrition,2 the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 3 in particular Millennium
Development Goal 1 on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, and the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 4 in particular the Sustainable
Development Goals on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition
and promoting sustainable agriculture and on ending poverty in all its forms
everywhere,
Recognizing that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals can help to
ensure the end of hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security,
__________________
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
2 Report of the World Food Conference, Rome, 5 –16 November 1974 (United Nations publication,
Sales No. E.75.II.A.3), chap. I.
3 Resolution 55/2.
4 Resolution 70/1.
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Recalling the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, 5 in which the fundamental right of every person to be free from
hunger is recognized,
Bearing in mind the importance of the Rome Declaration on World Food
Security, 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, 6
Reaffirming the importance of the recommendations contained in the Voluntary
Guidelines to Support the Progressive Realizatio n of the Right to Adequate Food in
the Context of National Food Security, adopted by the Council of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in November 2004, 7
Acknowledging that the right to food has been recognized as the right of e very
individual, alone or in community with others, to have physical and economic access at
all times to sufficient, adequate, nutritious food, in conformity with, inter alia, the
culture, beliefs, traditions, dietary habits and preferences of individuals, that is produced
and consumed sustainably, thereby preserving access to food for future generations,
Reaffirming the Five Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security
contained in the Declaration of the World Summit on Food Security, adopted in Rome
on 16 November 2009,8
Recalling the proclamation by the General Assembly at its seventy -second
session of 2019–2028 as the United Nations Decade of Family Farming and the close
links between family farming, the promotion and conservation of historical, cultural
and natural heritage, traditional customs and culture, halting the loss of biodiversity
and the improvement of the living conditions of people living in rural areas,
Reaffirming that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and
interrelated and that they must be treated globally, in a fair and equal manner, on the
same footing and with the same emphasis,
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,
improved nutrition and poverty eradication,
Reiterating, as set out in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security, the
Declaration of the World Food Summit and the Rome Declaration on Nutrition, 9 that
food should not be used as an instrument o f political or economic pressure, and
reaffirming in this regard the importance of international cooperation and solidarity,
as well as the necessity of refraining from unilateral measures that are not in
accordance with international law and the Charter a nd that endanger food and
nutrition security,
Expressing appreciation for the work of the United Nations system, in particular
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food
Programme, aimed at ending hunger and achieving food security and improved nutrition,
Convinced that each State must adopt a strategy consistent with its resources
and capacities to achieve its individual goals in implementing the recommendations
contained in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food
Summit Plan of Action, as well as in the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the
__________________
5 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
6 A/57/499, annex.
7 E/CN.4/2005/131, annex.
8 See Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document WSFS 2009/2.
9 World Health Organization, document EB136/8, annex I.
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Framework for Action, 10 and, at the same time, cooperate regionally and
internationally in order to organize collective solutions to global issues of food and
nutrition security in a world of increasingly interlinked institutions, societies and
economies where coordinated efforts and shared responsibilities are essential,
Recognizing that, despite the efforts made and the fact that some positive results
have been achieved, the problems of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition have a
global dimension, that there has not been sufficient progress in reducing hunger and
malnutrition and that these problems are increasing dramatically in some regions in
the absence of urgent, determined and concerted action,
Recognizing also the importance of traditional sustainable agricultural
practices, including traditional seed supply systems, as well as access to credit and
other financial services, markets, secure land ten ure, health care, social services,
education, training, knowledge and appropriate and affordable technologies,
including efficient irrigation, the reuse of treated wastewater and water harvesting
and storage for Indigenous Peoples and others living in rura l areas,
Recognizing further the complex character of food insecurity and its likely
recurrence due to a combination of several major factors, such as the effects of the
global financial and economic crisis, environmental degradation, desertification and
the adverse impacts of climate change, as well as poverty, natural disasters, armed
conflicts, drought, volatility in commodity prices and the lack in many countries of
the appropriate technology, investment and capacity -building necessary to confront
its impact, particularly in developing countries, including the least developed
countries and small island developing States, and the need for coherence and
collaboration between international institutions at the global level,
Noting with great concern that millions of people are facing famine or the
immediate risk of famine or are experiencing severe food insecurity in several regions
of the world, and noting also that poverty, armed conflicts, drought and the volatility
of commodity prices are among the factors causing or exacerbating famine and severe
food insecurity and that additional efforts, including international support, to respond,
prevent and prepare for increasing global food insecurity are urgently needed,
Noting the unprecedented surge in intern ational food commodity prices which,
according to the Food Price Index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, reached their highest peak in March 2022 since its inception in 1990,
in particular the rise in global prices of vegetabl e oil and grain, including wheat,
further affecting people in vulnerable situations,
Recalling its resolution 76/264 of 23 May 2022, entitled “State of global food
insecurity”, in which the General Assembly welcomed the initiative by the Secretary -
General to establish a Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance,
with a Steering Committee chaired by the Deputy Secretary -General, while also
taking note of other relevant initiatives aimed at p romoting food security and
improved nutrition, including for those in vulnerable situations,
Noting the rise in fertilizer prices and the shortages caused by supply chain
disruptions, affecting crop yields and threatening future agricultural productivity and
production, especially of wheat, maize, millet, rice, sunflower oil and essential food,
Noting also the rise in energy and fuel prices, which is increasing food
commodity prices, narrowing fiscal space at a time when the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing debt vulnerabilities and exposed
fragilities in the global financial architecture, with many developing countries at high
risk of or already in debt distress,
__________________
10 Ibid., annex II.
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Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest global challenges
in the history of the United Nations, and noting with deep concern its impact on health
and the loss of life, mental health and well-being, as well as the negative impact on
global humanitarian needs, the enjoyment of human rights and across all spheres of
society, including on livelihoods, food security and nutrition, and education, the
exacerbation of poverty and hunger, disruption to economies, trade, societies and
environments, and the exacerbation of economic and social inequa lities within and
among countries, which is reversing hard-won development gains and hampering
progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and all its Goals and targets,
Recognizing also that the poorest and those who may be vulnerable or in
vulnerable situations are the hardest hit by the pandemic and that the impact of the
crisis will reverse hard-won development gains and the fulfilment of the right to food
for all, and hamper progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,
including Goal 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved
nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture,
Recognizing further that the COVID-19 global pandemic requires a global
response based on unity, solidarity and multilateral cooperation,
Expressing its deep concern over the negative effects of armed conflicts on the
enjoyment of the right to food,
Recognizing that armed conflict impacts on food security can be direct, such a s
displacement from land, livestock grazing areas and fishing grounds or destruction of
food stocks and agricultural assets, or indirect, such as disruptions to food systems
and markets, leading to increased food prices or decreased household purchasing
power, or decreased access to supplies that are necessary for food preparation,
including water and fuel,
Stressing the obligation of all States and parties to an armed conflict to protect
civilians, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and ca lling upon
Member States, the United Nations and other relevant organizations to take further
steps to provide a coordinated emergency response to the food and nutrition needs of
affected populations, while aiming to ensure that such steps are supportive o f national
strategies and programmes aimed at improving food security and nutrition,
Reaffirming that starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited
under international humanitarian law and that it is therefore prohibited to attack,
destroy, remove or render useless, for that purpose, objects indispensable to the
survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the
production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies
and irrigation works,
Resolved to act to ensure that the promotion, protection and fulfilment of all
human rights and the human rights perspective are taken into account at the national,
regional and international levels in measures to address the realization of the r ight to
food,
Stressing the possible benefits of international trade to improve food and
nutrition availability,
Stressing also that improving access to productive resources and investment in
rural development is essential for eradicating hunger and pove rty, in particular in
developing countries, through, inter alia, the promotion of investments in appropriate
small-scale irrigation and water management technologies in order to reduce
vulnerability to droughts and tackle water scarcity, as well as in prog rammes,
practices and policies to scale up sustainable agroecological practices,
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Recognizing the importance of sustainable food systems that are fit to meet
environmental, economic and social challenges, in order to guarantee food security
and nutrition for all,
Expressing its deep concern at the number and scale of natural disasters,
diseases and pest infestations, as well as the negative impact of climate change, and
their increasing impact in recent years, which have resulted in substantial loss of life
and livelihood and threatened agricultural production and food and nutrition security,
in particular in developing countries,
Concerned that the adverse impacts of climate change and natural disasters are
harming agricultural productivity, food production and cropping patterns, thus
contributing to food availability shortfalls, and that such im pacts are expected to
increase with future climate change,
Emphasizing that a multisectoral approach that integrates nutrition across all
sectors, including agriculture, health, water and sanitation, social protection and
education, as well as a gender perspective, is critical to achieving global food security
and improved nutrition and the realization of the right to food,
Recalling the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible
Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the C ontext of National Food
Security11 by the Committee on World Food Security at its thirty -eighth session, held
on 11 May 2012, and by the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations at its 144th session,
Recalling also the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and
Food Systems,12 which were endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security at
its forty-first session, held from 13 to 18 October 2014,
Stressing the importance of the Second International Conference on Nutrition,
hosted by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations in Rome from 19 to 21 November 2014, and of its outcome
documents, the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the Framework for Action,
Stressing also the need to increase official development assistance devoted to
sustainable agriculture and nutrition,
Recognizing that small and medium-sized farmers in developing countries need
to receive technical, technology transfer and capacity -building support,
Recognizing also the importance of the protection and preservation of
agrobiodiversity in guaranteeing food security and nutrition and the right to food for
all,
Noting the cultural values of dietary and eating habits in different cultures, and
recognizing that food plays an important role in defining the identity of individuals
and communities and is a cultural component that describes and gives value to a
territory and its inhabitants,
Recognizing the role of the Food and Agriculture Organization o f the United
Nations as the key United Nations agency for rural and agricultural development and
its work in supporting the efforts of Member States to achieve the full realization of
the right to food, including through its provision of technical assistan ce to developing
countries in support of the implementation of national priority frameworks,
__________________
11 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document CL 144/9 (C 2013/20),
appendix D.
12 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document C 2015/20, appendix D.
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Recognizing also the role of the Committee on World Food Security as an
inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for a broad range of
committed stakeholders to work together in a coordinated manner and in support of
country-led processes towards the elimination of hunger and ensuring food security
and nutrition for all human beings,
Taking note with appreciation of the United Nations Food Systems Summit,
convened by the Secretary-General and held on 23 and 24 September 2021, and of
the Nutrition for Growth Summit, held in Tokyo on 7 and 8 December 2021,
Acknowledging the contribution of parliamentarians nationally and regionally
to the reduction of hunger and malnutrition and ultimately to the realization of the
right to food, and in this regard recognizing the convening of the first Global
Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition, held in Madrid on 29 and
30 October 2018,
Recalling the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development, entitled “The future we want”, and recalling the
commitment therein to work together to promote sustained and inclusive economic
growth, social development and environmental prote ction and thereby to benefit all,
endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 66/288 of 27 July 2012,
Recalling also the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 –203013
and its guiding principles, which, inter alia, recognize the importance of promoting
regular disaster preparedness and response and recovery exercises, with a view to
ensuring rapid and effective response to disasters and related displacement, including
access to essential food and non-food relief supplies, as appropriate to local needs, as
well as of fostering collaboration across global and regional mechanisms and
institutions for the implementation and coherence of instruments and tools relevant
to disaster risk reduction, such as for climate change adaptation, biodiversity,
sustainable development, poverty eradication, environment, agriculture, health, food
and nutrition and others, as appropriate,
Recalling further the proclamation at its seventieth session of 2016 –2025 as the
United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition, and stressing the opportunity the
Decade represents to bring together initiatives and efforts to eradicate hunger and
prevent all forms of malnutrition,
Acknowledging the work done by the High-level Task Force on Global Food and
Nutrition Security established by the Secretary -General, and supporting the
Secretary-General in his continuing efforts in this regard, including continued
engagement with Member States and the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rig hts
Council on the right to food,
1. 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;
2. Also reaffirms the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient,
nutritious and sustainably produced food, consistent with the right to adequate food
and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, so as to be able to fully
develop and maintain his or her physical and mental capacities;
3. Expresses its concern at the fact that the effects created by the world food
crisis still continue to have serious consequences for the poorest and most vulnerable
people, particularly in developing countrie s, which have been further aggravated by
the impacts of the world financial and economic crisis, and at the particular effects of
__________________
13 Resolution 69/283, annex II.
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the crisis on many net food-importing countries, especially the least developed
countries;
4. Expresses particular concern at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
the fulfilment of all human rights for all, including the right to food, underlines that
the pandemic is exacerbating existing high levels of acute food insecurity, and calls
upon Member States and other relevant stakeholders to consider the fulfilment of the
right to food as part of the response to and recovery from the pandemic by, inter alia,
keeping food and agriculture supply chains functioning, ensuring the continued trade
in and movement of food and livestock, products and inputs essential for agricultural
and food production to markets, minimizing food loss and waste, supporting workers
and farmers, including women farmers, in agriculture and food supply chains to
continue their essential work, including cross-border, in a safe manner, mobilizing
and allocating adequate resources and enhancing institutional and training capacities
for an accelerated implementation of sustainable agriculture and food systems,
providing continued access to adequate, safe, affordab le and nutritious food, and
providing adequate social safety nets and assistance to minimize the negative effects
of loss of livelihoods and increasing food prices on food insecurity and malnutrition;
5. Expresses its deep concern that, according to the report of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations entitled The State of Food Security
and Nutrition in the World 2022: Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make
healthy diets more affordable, the number of hungry people in the world is growing,
the vast majority of hungry people live in developing countries and over 2.3 billion
people in the world experience moderate or severe food insecurity;
6. Considers it alarming that, as estimated by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, in 2021, the number of people who did not have
access to adequate food rose by 112 million, to 3.1 billion, and that between
702 million and 828 million people faced hunger in 2021;
7. Expresses its deep concern that, while women contribute more than 50 per
cent of the food produced worldwide, they also account for 70 per cent of the world’s
hungry, that women and girls are disproportionately affected by hunger, food
insecurity and poverty, in part as a result of gender inequality and discrimination, that
in many countries girls are twice as likely as boys to die from malnutrition and
preventable childhood diseases, and that it is estimated that almost twice as many
women as men suffer from malnutrition;
8. Encourages all States to mainstream a gender perspective in food security
programmes and to take action to address de jure and de facto gender inequality and
discrimination against women, in particular when they contribute to the malnutrition
of women and girls, including measures to ensure the full and equal realization of the
right to food and that women have equal access to resources, including income, land
and water and their ownership and agricultural inputs, as well as full and equal access
to health care, education, science and technology, to enable them to feed themselves
and their families, and in this regard stresses the need to empower women and
strengthen their role in decision-making;
9. Encourages the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the
right to food to continue to mainstream a gender perspective in the fulfilment of his
mandate, and encourages the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations and all other United Nations bodies and mechanisms addressing the right to
food and food insecurity and malnutrition to continue to integrate a gender
perspective into their relevant policies, programmes and activities;
10. Reaffirms the need to ensure that programmes delivering safe and
nutritious food are inclusive of and accessib le to persons with disabilities;
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11. Stresses that the primary responsibility of States is to promote and protect
the right to food and that the international community should provide, through a
coordinated response and upon request, international coopera tion in support of
national and regional efforts by providing the assistance necessary to increase food
production and access to food, including through agricultural development assistance,
the transfer of technology, food crop rehabilitation assistance an d food aid, ensuring
food security, with special attention to the specific needs of women and girls, and
promoting innovation, support for agricultural training and the development of
adapted technologies, research on rural advisory services and support fo r access to
financing services, and ensure support for the establishment of secure land tenure
systems;
12. Calls upon all States and, if appropriate, relevant international
organizations to take measures and support programmes that are aimed at combating
undernutrition in mothers, in particular during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and in
children, and the irreversible effects of chronic undernutrition in early childhood, in
particular from birth to the age of 2 years;
13. Also calls upon all States and, where appropriate, relevant international
organizations to implement policies and programmes to reduce and eliminate
preventable mortality and morbidity, as a result of malnutrition, of children under
5 years of age, and in this regard urges States to disse minate the technical guidance
prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
in collaboration with the World Health Organization, 14 and to apply it, as appropriate,
in the design, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of laws, policies,
programmes, budgets and mechanisms for remedy and redress aimed at eliminating
preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age;
14. Encourages all States to take steps, with a view to progressively achieving
the full realization of the right to food, including steps to promote the conditions for
everyone to be free from hunger and, as soon as possible, to enjoy fully the right to
food, and to create and adopt national plans to combat hunger;
15. Recognizes the advances made through South-South cooperation in
developing countries and regions in connection with food security and the
development of agricultural production for the full realization of the right to food;
16. Stresses that improving access to productive re sources and responsible
public investment in rural development, taking into consideration the Principles for
Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems, as endorsed by the
Committee on World Food Security, is essential for eradicating hunger an d poverty,
in particular in developing countries, including through the promotion of investment,
including private investment, in appropriate small -scale irrigation and water
management technologies in order to reduce vulnerability to droughts and to tackl e
water scarcity;
17. Recognizes the critical contribution made by the fisheries sector to the
realization of the right to food and to food security and the contribution of small -scale
fishers to the local food security of coastal communities;
18. Also recognizes that 70 per cent of hungry people live in rural areas, where
nearly half a billion family farmers are located, and that these people are especially
vulnerable to food insecurity, given the increasing cost of inputs and the fall in farm
incomes; that access to land, water, seeds and other natural resources is an increasing
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14 A/HRC/27/31; see also Human Rights Council resolution 33/11 (see Official Records of the
General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 53A and corrigendum (A/71/53/Add.1
and A/71/53/Add.1/Corr.1), chap. II).
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challenge for poor producers; that sustainable and gender-sensitive agricultural
policies are important tools for promoting land and agrarian reform, rural credit and
insurance, technical assistance and other associated measures to achieve food security
and rural development; and that support by States for small farmers, fishing
communities and local enterprises, including through the facilitation of access for
their products to national and international markets and empowerment of small
producers, particularly women, in value chains, is a key element for food security and
the provision of the right to food;
19. Stresses the importance of fighting hunger in rural areas, including through
national efforts supported by international partnerships to stop desertification and
land degradation and through investments and public policies that are specifically
appropriate to the risk of drylands, and in this regard calls for the full imple mentation
of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries
Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa; 15
20. Urges States that have not yet done so to favourably consider becoming
parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity 16 and to consider becoming parties
to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture 17 as
a matter of priority;
21. Recognizes the important role of Indigenous Peoples and their tradition al
knowledge and seed supply systems, as well as the important role of new
technologies, in the conservation of biodiversity and in aiming to ensure food security
and improved nutrition;
22. Recalls the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigeno us
Peoples,18 acknowledges that many Indigenous organizations and representatives of
Indigenous Peoples have expressed in different forums their deep concerns over the
obstacles and challenges they face in achieving the full enjoyment of the right to food,
and calls upon States to take special actions to combat the root causes of the
disproportionately high level of hunger and malnutrition among Indigenous Peoples
and the continuous discrimination against them;
23. Also recalls the outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of
the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, held
on 22 and 23 September 2014,19 and the commitment to developing, in conjunction
with the Indigenous Peoples concerned and where appropriate, polici es, programmes
and resources to support Indigenous Peoples’ occupations, traditional subsistence
activities, economies, livelihoods, food security and nutrition;
24. Notes the need to further examine various concepts, such as “food
sovereignty”, and their relation to food security and the right to food, bearing in mind
the need to avoid any negative impact on the enjoyment of the right to food for all
people at all times;
25. Requests all States and private actors, as well as international
organizations, within their respective mandates, to take fully into account the need to
promote the effective realization of the right to food for all;
26. Recognizes the need to strengthen national commitment, as well as
international assistance, upon the request of an d in cooperation with the affected
countries, towards the full realization and protection of the right to food, and in
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15 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1954, No. 33480.
16 Ibid., vol. 1760, No. 30619.
17 Ibid., vol. 2400, No. 43345.
18 Resolution 61/295, annex.
19 Resolution 69/2.
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particular to develop national protection mechanisms for people forced to leave their
homes and land because of hunger or humanitarian em ergencies affecting their
enjoyment of the right to food;
27. Takes note with appreciation of the growing movement, in different
regions of the world, towards the adoption of framework laws, national strategies and
measures in support of the full realizat ion of the right to food for all;
28. Stresses the need to make efforts to mobilize and optimize the allocation
and utilization of technical and financial resources from all sources, including
external debt relief for developing countries, and to reinforc e national actions to
implement sustainable food security policies;
29. Calls for a successful, development-oriented outcome of the trade
negotiations of the World Trade Organization, in particular on the remaining issues
of the Doha Development Round, as a contribution to the creation of international
conditions permitting the full re alization of the right to food;
30. Stresses that all States should make all efforts to ensure that their
international policies of a political and economic nature, including international trade
agreements, do not have a negative impact on the right to fo od in other countries;
31. Recalls the importance of the New York Declaration on Action against
Hunger and Poverty, and recommends the continuation of efforts aimed at identifying
additional sources of financing for the fight against hunger and poverty, a s well as
non-communicable diseases;
32. 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, while
recognizing the efforts of Member States in this regard, and o nce again invites all
international financial and development institutions, as well as the relevant United
Nations agencies and funds, to give priority to and provide the funding necessary to
realize the right to food, as set out in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security,
and to achieve the aims of Goal 2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
and other food and nutrition -related targets;
33. Reaffirms that integrating food and nutritional support, with the goal that
all people at all times will have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet
their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life, is part of a
comprehensive effort to improve public health, alongside the response to the spread
of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases;
34. Urges States to give priority in their development strategies and
expenditures to the realization of the right to food;
35. Stresses the importance of international cooperation and development
assistance as an effective contribution to the sustainable expansion and improvement
of agriculture and, in particular, its environmental sustainability, food production,
breeding projects on diversity of crops and livestock and institutional innovations
such as community seed banks, farmer field schools and seed fairs, and to the
provision of humanitarian food assistance in activities related to emergency situations
for the realization of the right to food and the achievement of sustainable food
security, while recognizing that each country has the primary responsibility for
ensuring the implementation of national programmes and strategies in this regard;
36. Calls upon Member States and relevant stakeholders to strengthen
international cooperation, as well as their support for multilateral efforts and for the
central role of the United Nations system, in order to mobilize a coordinated global
response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse social, economic and financial
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impact on all societies, including on the righ t to food, that contributes to the full
realization of this right for all and leaves no one behind;
37. Stresses that States parties to the World Trade Organization Agreement on
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights should consider impleme nting
that agreement in a manner that is supportive of food security;
38. Calls upon Member States, the United Nations system and other relevant
stakeholders to support national efforts aimed at responding rapidly to the food crises
currently occurring across different regions, and expresses its deep concern that
funding shortfalls are forcing the World Food Programme to cut operations across
different regions;
39. Calls upon Member States, the United Nations, humanitarian and
development organizations and other relevant actors to urgently and effectively
respond to, prevent and prepare for rising global food insecurity affecting millions of
people, especially those who are facing famine or the immediate risk of famine,
including by enhancing humanitarian and development cooperation and providing
urgent funding to respond to the needs of the affected population, and calls upon
Member States and parties to armed conflicts to respect international humanitarian
law and ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian a ccess;
40. Calls upon States to heed the urgent United Nations humanitarian appeal
to assist countries facing drought, starvation and famine with emergency aid and
urgent funding;
41. Invites all relevant international organizations, including the World Bank
and the International Monetary Fund, to continue to promote policies and projects
that have a positive impact on the right to food, to ensure that partners respect the
right to food in the implementation of common projects, to support strategies of
Member States aimed at the fulfilment of the right to food and to avoid any actions
that could have a negative impact on its realization;
42. Takes note with appreciation of the interim report of the Special
Rapporteur,20 which is focused on emerging issues concerning the realization of the
right to food, in particular in the context of the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic and its
impact on food security and nutrition;
43. Recognizes the importance of giving due consideration to the adverse
impacts of climate change and to the full realization of the right to food, recalls the
Paris Agreement, adopted at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Paris from
30 November to 13 December 2015, 21 and also recalls the holding of the twenty -
second session of the Conference of the Parties in Marrakech, Morocco, from 7 to
18 November 2016;
44. Also recognizes the impacts of climate change and of the El Niño
phenomenon on agricultural production and food security around the world and the
importance of designing and implementing actions to reduce its effects, in particular
on vulnerable populations, such as rural women, bearing in mind the role that they
play in supporting their households and communities in achieving food and nutrition
security, generating income and improving rural livelihoods and overall well -being;
45. Reiterates its support for the realization of the mandate of the Special
Rapporteur, and requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High
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20 A/77/177.
21 See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21, annex.
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Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide all the human and financial
resources necessary for its effective fulfilment;
46. 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), 22 in which the Committee
affirmed, inter alia, that the right to adequate food is indivisibly linked to the inherent
dignity of the human person, indispensable for the fulfilment of other human rights
enshrined in the International Bill of Human Rights and 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;
47. Takes note with appreciation of the work done by the Committee on World
Food Security in order to contribute to achieving and guaranteeing global food
security;
48. Recalls general comment No. 15 (2002) of the Committee on Econo mic,
Social and Cultural Rights on the right to water (articles 11 and 12 of the Covenant), 23
in which the Committee noted, inter alia, the importance of ensuring sustainable
access to water resources for human consumption and agriculture in realization of the
right to adequate food;
49. Reaffirms that the Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Progressive
Realization of the Right to Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security,
adopted by the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations in November 2004, represent a useful tool to promote the realization of the
right to food for all, contribute to the achievement of food security and thus provide
an additional instrument in the attainment of internationally agreed developme nt
goals and to support national Governments in the implementation of food security
and nutrition policies, programmes and legal frameworks;
50. Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special
Rapporteur in his task, to supply all nece ssary information requested by him and to
give serious consideration to responding favourably to the requests of the Special
Rapporteur to visit their countries to enable him to fulfil his mandate more effectively;
51. Requests the Special Rapporteur to submit to the General Assembly at its
seventy-eighth session an interim report on the implementation of the present
resolution and to continue his work, including by examining the emerging issues with
regard to the realization of the right to food that are within his mandate, in particular
in the context of the response to and recovery from the COVID -19 pandemic;
52. Invites Governments, relevant United Nations agencies, funds and
programmes, treaty bodies, civil society actors and non -governmental organizations,
as well as the private sector, to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur in the
fulfilment of his mandate through, inter alia, the submission of comments and
suggestions on ways and means of realizing the right to food;
53. Decides to continue the consideration of the question at its seventy -eighth
session under the item entitled “Promotion and protection of human rights”.
54th plenary meeting
15 December 2022
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22 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2000, Supplement No. 2 and
corrigendum (E/2000/22 and E/2000/22/Corr.1), annex V.
23 Ibid., 2003, Supplement No. 2 (E/2003/22), annex IV.