RES/11/4 Promotion of the right of peoples to peace

Human Rights Council

Eleventh Session

Resolution 11/4. Promotion of the right of peoples to peace

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling all previous resolutions on the promotion of the right of peoples to peace adopted by the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council,

Taking note of General Assembly resolution 39/11 of 12 November 1984, entitled “Declaration of the Right of Peoples to Peace”, and the United Nations Millennium Declaration,

Determined to foster strict respect for the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,

Bearing in mind that one of the purposes of the United Nations is to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction of race, sex, language or religion,

Underlining, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations, its full and active support for the Organization and the enhancement of its role and effectiveness in strengthening international peace, security and justice and in promoting the solution of international problems, and the development of friendly relations and cooperation among States,

Reaffirming the obligation of all States to settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace, security, human rights and justice are not endangered,

Emphasizing its objective of promoting better relations among all States and contributing to creating conditions in which their people can live in true and lasting peace, free from any threat to or attack against their security,

Reaffirming the obligation of all States to refrain, in their international relations, from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or from acting in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations,

Reaffirming also its commitment to peace, security and justice, respect for human rights and the continuing development of friendly relations and cooperation among States,

Rejecting the use of violence in the pursuit of political aims, and stressing that only peaceful political solutions can assure a stable and democratic future for all peoples around the world,

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Reaffirming the importance of ensuring respect for the Purposes and Principles of the Charter and international law, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States,

Reaffirming also that all peoples have the right to self-determination, by virtue of which they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development,

Reaffirming further the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter,

Recognizing that peace and security, development and human rights are mutually interlinked and reinforcing,

Affirming that human rights include social, economic and cultural rights and the right to peace, a healthy environment and development, and that development is, in fact, the realization of these rights,

Underlining that the subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental rights, is contrary to the Charter and an impediment to the promotion of world peace and cooperation,

Recalling 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 can be fully realized,

Convinced of the aim of creating conditions of stability and well-being, which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of the equal rights and self-determination of peoples,

Convinced also that life without war is the primary international prerequisite for the material well-being, development and progress of countries and for the full implementation of the rights and fundamental human freedoms proclaimed by the United Nations,

Convinced further that international cooperation in the field of human rights contributes to the creation of an international environment of peace and stability,

1. Reaffirms that the peoples of our planet have a sacred right to peace;

2. Also reaffirms that the preservation of the right of peoples to peace and the promotion of its implementation constitute a fundamental obligation of all States;

3. Stresses the importance of peace for the promotion and protection of all human rights for all;

4. Also stresses that the deep fault line that divides human society between the rich and the poor and the ever-increasing gap between the developed world and the developing world pose a major threat to global prosperity, peace, human rights, security and stability;

5. Further stresses that peace and security, development and human rights are the pillars of the United Nations system and the foundations for collective security and well-being;

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6. Emphasizes that ensuring the exercise of the right of peoples to peace and its promotion demand that the policies of States be directed towards the elimination of the threat of war, particularly nuclear war, the renunciation of the use or threat of use of force in international relations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations;

7. Affirms that all States should promote the establishment, maintenance and strengthening of international peace and security and an international system based on respect for the Principles enshrined in the Charter and the promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development and the right of peoples to self-determination;

8. Urges all States to respect and to put into practice the Principles and Purposes of the Charter in their relations with all other States, irrespective of their political, economic or social systems or of their size, geographical location or level of economic development;

9. Reaffirms the duty of all States, in accordance with the Principles of the Charter, to use peaceful means to settle any dispute to which they are parties and the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, and encourages States to settle their disputes as early as possible, as an important contribution to the promotion and protection of all human rights of everyone and all peoples;

10. Underlines the vital importance of education for peace as a tool to foster the realization of the right of peoples to peace, and encourages States, United Nations specialized agencies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to contribute actively to this endeavour;

11. Reiterates its request to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene, before February 2010, and taking into account previous practices, a workshop on the right of peoples to peace, with the participation of experts from all regions of the world, in order to:

(a) Clarify further the content and scope of this right;

(b) Propose measures that raise awareness of the importance of realizing this right;

(c) Suggest concrete actions to mobilize States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in the promotion of the right of peoples to peace;

12. Requests the High Commissioner to report on the outcome of the workshop to the Council at its fourteenth session;

13. Invites States and relevant United Nations human rights mechanisms and procedures to continue to pay attention to the importance of mutual cooperation, understanding and dialogue in ensuring the promotion and protection of all human rights;

14. Decides to continue considering the issue at its fourteenth session under the same agenda item.

27th meeting 17 June 2009

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[Adopted by a recorded vote of 32 to 13, with 1 abstention. The voting was as follows:

In favour: Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Uruguay, Zambia;

Against: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;

Abstaining: India.]

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