RES/18/10 Human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking

GE.A/HRC/18/29. 1-16654

Human Rights Council Eighteenth 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*

18/10 Human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling previous resolutions of the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council on hostage-taking, on human rights and terrorism and on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, in particular Assembly resolutions 61/172 of 19 December 2006 and 64/168 of 18 December 2009, Commission resolutions 2004/44 of 19 April 2004 and 2005/31 of 19 April 2005, Council resolution 13/26 of 26 March 2010, Council decision 15/116 of 7 October 2010 and President’s statement PRST/1/2 of 13 November 2006,

Recalling also the mandate of the Human Rights Council as set forth in General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006,

Recalling further its resolution 5/1 on institution-building of the Human Rights Council of 18 June 2007,

Underlining the importance of all General Assembly resolutions on measures to eliminate international terrorism, including Assembly resolutions 46/51 of 9 December 1991, 60/288 of 8 September 2006 and 64/297 of 8 September 2010, and reaffirming commitments to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its four pillars,

Noting Security Council resolutions 1904 (2009) of 17 December 2009, 1963 (2010) of 20 December 2010 and 1989 (2011) of 17 June 2011,

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

the Council on its eighteenth session (A/HRC/18/2), chap. I.

United Nations A/HRC/RES/18/10

General Assembly Distr.: General 13 October 2011 Original: English

Underlining the importance of the ratification of all relevant international conventions against terrorism, especially the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages,

Reaffirming in particular that peace and security, development and human rights are the interrelated pillars of the United Nations system, and renewing its commitment to strengthen international cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism,

Reaffirming that the promotion and protection of human rights for all and the rule of law are essential to the fight against terrorism, and recognizing that effective counter- terrorism measures and the protection of human rights are not conflicting goals but are complementary and mutually reinforcing,

Expressing concern at the increase in incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking by terrorists and their negative impact on the realization and the enjoyment of human rights,

Bearing in mind that the Security Council, in its resolution 1963 (2010), noted with concern that terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security, the enjoyment of human rights and the social and economic development of all Member States, and undermines global stability and prosperity, that this threat has become more diffuse, with an increase, in various regions of the world, of terrorist acts, and recognized that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing,

1. Recognizes the need to reflect on the question of human rights and issues related to terrorist hostage-taking;

2. Notes with appreciation the holding of a panel discussion on the issue of human rights in the context of action taken to address terrorist hostage-taking by the Human Rights Council at its sixteenth session;

3. Takes note of the summary of the panel’s deliberations prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;1

4. Reaffirms that all acts of terrorism, including acts of hostage-taking, wherever and by whomever they are committed, are serious crimes aimed at the destruction of human rights and are, under all circumstances, unjustifiable;

5. Recognizes that the issue of hostage-taking by terrorist groups poses a number of challenges and has an adverse impact not only on the protection of the human rights of hostages but also on the protection and enjoyment of these rights by those living in local communities, including in terms of socio-economic impact and development, in the countries of the regions affected by this scourge, and expresses concern at the fact that actions or measures taken to obtain the release of hostages may compound this adverse impact;

6. Requests the Advisory Committee to prepare a study on the issue described in paragraph 5 above for the purposes of promoting awareness and understanding, paying particular attention to its impact on human rights and the role of regional and international cooperation in this field;

7. Encourages the Advisory Committee, when elaborating the above-mentioned study, to take into account, as appropriate, and to refrain from duplicating the work done on the issue by competent United Nations bodies and mechanisms, and therefore to adhere

strictly to the provisions contained in General Assembly resolution 60/251 and Human Rights Council resolution 5/1;

8. Requests the Advisory Committee to submit the study to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session and to present an interim report thereon at its twenty-first session.

36th meeting

29 September 2011

[Adopted without a vote.]