RES/24/31 Enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building in the field of human rights

GE.A/HRC/13/29. 3-17999

Human Rights Council Twenty-fourth session

Agenda item 10 Technical assistance and capacity-building

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council

24/31.

Enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building in the

field of human rights

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the United Nations, particularly with regard to achieving international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all 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 the obligation of States under the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Recognizing that the enhancement of international cooperation is essential for the effective promotion and protection of human rights, which should be based on the principles of cooperation and genuine dialogue and aimed at strengthening the capacity of States to prevent human rights violations and comply with their human rights obligations for the benefit of all human beings,

Recalling the mandate of the Human Rights Council to promote advisory services, technical assistance and capacity-building, to be provided in consultation with and with the consent of States concerned, and provisions in Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007 and 16/21 of 25 March 2011 that aim to enable the Council to fulfil such a mandate,

Reaffirming Human Rights Council resolution 16/15 of 24 March 2011, in which the Council underlined the importance of international cooperation for the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as resolutions 18/18 of 29 September 2011 and 21/21 of 27 September 2012,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolution 19/26 of 23 March 2012 on the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation of Least Developed

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

the Council on its twenty-fourth session (A/HRC/24/2), Part One.

Countries and Small Island Developing Countries in the work of the Human Rights Council,

1. Encourages Members and observers of the Human Rights Council to use, where relevant, the general debate under agenda item 10 as a platform to share experiences, challenges and information on assistance needed in the implementation of their human rights obligations and voluntary pledges and commitments, including accepted universal periodic review recommendations, as well as their achievements and good practices in the area of technical cooperation in the field of human rights;

2. Emphasizes that the discussion to promote technical cooperation and capacity-building in the Human Rights Council should be based on consultation with and the consent of the States concerned, and should take into account their needs, as well as the fact that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and aim to make a concrete impact on the ground;

3. Affirms that technical cooperation should be an inclusive exercise that engages and involves all national stakeholders, including government agencies and civil societies, at all stages;

4. Reaffirms the need for enhanced voluntary contributions for the relevant United Nations funds to support technical assistance and capacity-building, particularly the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, the Voluntary Fund for Participation in Universal Periodic Review Mechanism and the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance for the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review, and encourages States to make contribution to these funds, especially those who have not yet done so;

5. Welcomes the panel discussion held under agenda item 10 at the twenty- second session of the Human Rights Council on the theme “Promoting technical

cooperation for strengthening of the judiciary system and administration of justice in order to ensure human rights and rule of law”, underlining the importance of technical assistance provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant United Nations agencies to strengthen the administration of justice of States, the impartiality and integrity of the judicial system as prerequisite of the rule of law, and challenges regarding pretrial detention, reduction of prison overcrowding, specific provisions for juvenile justice and equal access to justice for all, in particular women and children, and other groups marginalized by age, gender, physical and mental disabilities, as well as encouraging greater coordination within the United Nations system on the delivery of technical assistance to States so as to respond to the support needed and to create public confidence in a justice system that is accessible for all;

6. Acknowledges the challenges faced by persons with disabilities, who make up an estimated 15 per cent of the world’s population, of whom 80 per cent live in developing countries, and may not only be subject to multiple discrimination but also remain largely invisible in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals;

7. Takes note with appreciation of the thematic study of the Office of the High Commissioner on the structure and roles of national mechanisms for the implementation and monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities1 and the report

of the Secretary-General entitled “The way forward: a disability-inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond”;A/68/95.

8. Notes the discussion held at the sixth session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which noted the potential contribution of disability-inclusive development in the post-2015 development agenda while recognizing the potential of persons with disabilities can contribute to the fulfilment of human rights;

9. Welcomes regional consultations in preparation for, and the outcome document of, the high-level meeting held at the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly on the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities, which recognize the need to ensure accessibility for and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of development efforts and to provide a comprehensive reference for the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda;

10. Stresses the importance of ensuring that disability-inclusive development is taken into consideration in the realization of internationally agreed development goals;

11. Encourages States parties to ensure the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including, where appropriate, through harmonization of domestic legislation and policies with their obligations under the Convention, and, where appropriate, to consider requesting technical cooperation and capacity-building from the Office of the High Commissioner and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in such efforts, and encourages both the Office and the Committee to respond favourably to such requests;

12. Encourages all actors, with the participation of persons with disabilities and in cooperation with civil society organizations and organization of persons with disabilities, including through tripartite and South-South cooperation and public-private partnerships, to reinforce local, regional and international cooperation in support of national efforts for the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures, including legislative measures, to enhance the contribution of persons with disabilities in socioeconomic development;

13. Decides, in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4 of Human Rights Council resolution 18/18, that the theme for the annual thematic panel discussion under agenda item 10 to be held during the twenty-sixth session of the Council shall be “Technical cooperation and capacity-building in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities through legal and institutional frameworks, including public-private partnerships”, and that the discussion shall be fully accessible to persons with disabilities;

14. Encourages organizations of persons with disabilities, national monitoring bodies and human rights institutions to participate actively in the session referred to in paragraph 13 above;

15. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a report on the activities undertaken by the Office, other relevant United Nations agencies and, where applicable, regional organizations to support efforts by States to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities in their national legislation, policies and programmes, including to mainstream disability in development efforts, and requests that the report be made available in accessible, easy-to-read format on the website of the Office, for submission to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-sixth session, to serve as a basis for the thematic panel discussion, and to liaise with States, relevant United Nations bodies and

agencies, relevant special procedures and other stakeholders, including, where applicable, those involved in technical cooperation projects that demonstrate best practices, constructive engagement and positive impact on the ground, with a view to ensuring their participation in the thematic panel discussion.

37th meeting

27 September 2013

[Adopted without a vote.]