RES/16/7 Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences

GE.11-12520

Human Rights Council Sixteenth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council*

16/7 Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/45 of 4 March 1994, in which the Commission decided to appoint a special rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences,

Reaffirming also Human Rights Council resolution 7/24 of 28 March 2008,

Reaffirming further Human Rights Council resolution 6/30 of 14 December 2007 on integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations system, all resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and of the Council on the elimination of violence against women, all General Assembly resolutions relevant to the elimination of all forms of violence against women, and recalling the Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security,

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, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his/her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

1. Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences;

2. Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, for a period of three years;

* The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of

the Council on its sixteenth session (A/HRC/16/2), chap. I.

3. Invites the Special Rapporteur, in carrying out his/her mandate within the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all other international human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action:

(a) To seek and receive information on violence against women, its causes and its consequences, from Governments, treaty bodies, specialized agencies, other special rapporteurs responsible for various human rights questions, and intergovernmental and non- governmental organizations, including women’s organizations, and to respond effectively to such information;

(b) To recommend measures, ways and means at the local, national, regional and international levels to eliminate all forms of violence against women and its causes, and to remedy its consequences;

(c) To work closely with all special procedures and other human rights mechanisms of the Human Rights Council and with the treaty bodies, taking into account the request of the Council that they regularly and systematically integrate the human rights of women and a gender perspective into their work, and cooperate closely with the Commission on the Status of Women in the discharge of its functions;

(d) To continue to adopt a comprehensive and universal approach to the elimination of violence against women, its causes and consequences, including causes of violence against women relating to the civil, cultural, economic, political and social spheres;

4. Notes with appreciation the cooperation extended to date to the Special Rapporteur, and calls upon Governments to continue to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the discharge of his/her mandate, including by supplying requested information and responding to communications without undue delay; to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur with regard to the implementation of his/her recommendations; and to give serious consideration to responding favourably to requests for visits;

5. Requests the Special Rapporteur to report to the Human Rights Council in accordance with its annual programme of work;

6. Requests special procedures, and invites United Nations organs and bodies, in particular the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations, treaty bodies and relevant civil society actors to give consideration to the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in their respective work, and to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the fulfilment of his/her mandate;

7. Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide the Special Rapporteur with all assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of his/her mandate, in particular staff and resources, including to carry out and follow up on missions;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the reports of the Special Rapporteur are brought to the attention of the Commission on the Status of Women, the General Assembly and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and requests the Special Rapporteur to present an oral report annually to the Commission;

9. Decides to continue consideration of the issue of the elimination of all forms of violence against women, its causes and consequences, as a matter of high priority, in conformity with its annual programme of work.

45th meeting 24 March 2011

[Adopted without a vote.]