RES/30/15 Human rights and preventing and countering violent extremism

Human Rights Council Thirtieth session

Agenda item 3

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 2 October 2015

30/15. Human rights and preventing and countering violent

extremism

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Guided also by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International

Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil

and Political Rights, and recalling the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 68/127 of 18 December 2013, 68/276 of 13

June 2014 and 69/140 of 15 December 2014, as well as resolution 66/12 of 18 November

2011 concerning the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, Human Rights Council

resolutions on human rights and terrorism and relevant international instruments relating to

terrorism,

Recognizing that the objectives of countering violent extremism and countering

terrorism and of the protection and promotion of human rights, fundamental freedoms and

rule of law are mutually reinforcing,

Looking forward with interest to the upcoming plan of action of the Secretary-

General on preventing violent extremism, and reaffirming that the Human Rights Council

has a complementary role to play in supporting the implementation of the United Nations

Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by emphasizing the human rights dimensions in

countering violent extremism and preventing the spread of violent extremism,

Welcoming the efforts made by the Secretary-General and the High Representative

of the Secretary-General for the Alliance of Civilizations to promote greater understanding

and respect among civilizations, cultures and religions,

Noting the contribution of the processes of the countering violent extremism

summits and related international and regional conferences and meetings held throughout

the world,

Recognizing the important role of regional organizations and comprehensive, multi-

stakeholder approaches to preventing and countering violent extremism,

United Nations A/HRC/RES/30/15

General Assembly

Recognizing also that violent extremism, in all its forms and manifestations, cannot

and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group,

Recognizing further the commitment of all religions to peace, and determined to

condemn violent extremism, which spreads hate and threatens lives,

Reaffirming that violent extremism constitutes a serious common concern for all

States, and convinced that there is no justification for violent extremism, whatever the

motivation,

Noting that while there can be no excuse or justification for violent extremism,

abuses and violations of human rights may be among the elements that contribute to

creating an environment in which people, especially youth, are vulnerable to radicalization

that leads to violent extremism and recruitment by violent extremists and terrorists,

Deeply concerned at the profound threat posed by acts resulting from violent

extremism and terrorism motivated by extremist ideologies or intolerance to the realization

and enjoyment of human rights and by the increasing and serious human rights abuses and

violations of international humanitarian law by violent extremists and terrorists, including

those involving unlawful killings, the deliberate targeting of civilians, the unlawful

recruitment and use of child soldiers, sexual violence and other forms of violence, forced

conversions, targeted persecution of individuals on the basis of their religion or belief,

forced displacement and abduction, abuse of women and children, and acts of violence

against members of ethnic and religious minorities, and unlawful sieges involving civilians,

especially minorities,

Deploring attacks on religious places and shrines and cultural sites, which violate

international law, in particular human rights and international humanitarian law, including

any deliberate destruction of relics and monuments,

Recalling that, as affirmed in the Preamble to the Charter, the practice of tolerance is

one of the principles to be applied to attain the ends pursued by the United Nations of

preventing war and maintaining peace, and convinced that the respect for and protection of

all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons, as well as tolerance, the

recognition and appreciation of others and the ability to live together with and to listen to

others form a sound foundation of any society and of peace,

Emphasizing the importance of supporting, recognizing and protecting the rights of

victims of violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, deploring the suffering

caused by violent extremism to the victims and their families, expressing profound

solidarity with them, and stressing the importance of providing them with proper support

and assistance while taking into account, when appropriate, considerations regarding

remembrance, dignity, respect, justice and truth, ensuring accountability and ending

impunity, in accordance with international law,

Reaffirming States’ international obligations to promote and protect human rights

while preventing and countering violent extremism, and recognizing that the protection of

human rights is crucial to achieving the goal of effectively preventing and countering

violent extremism,

Reaffirming also the commitment of States to take measures aimed at raising

awareness of, and addressing the numerous and diverse conditions conducive to, the spread

of violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations,

Noting that States may seek to integrate poverty eradication as part of their national

strategies to address one of the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 of 24 March 2011 on combating

intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to

violence and violence against, persons based on religion and belief, and recalling also the

Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred

that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence as important tools to

counter violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations,

Recognizing that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

may contribute to creating an environment in which individuals are vulnerable to

radicalization that leads to the commission of acts resulting from violent extremism and

terrorism motivated by extremist ideologies,

Reaffirming that human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of

peaceful assembly and of association, are essential components of democracy providing

individuals with invaluable opportunities to express their political opinions and that enables

dialogue in preventing and countering violent extremism,

Underscoring that preventing and countering violent extremism requires a whole-of-

society approach, involving government, civil society, local and religious leaders and the

private sector, and acknowledging that the active participation of civil society is a key

factor in governmental efforts to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms while

preventing and countering violent extremism,

1. Reaffirms that acts, methods and practices of violent extremism in all their

forms and manifestations are activities that aim to threaten the enjoyment of human rights

and fundamental freedoms, and democracy, and threaten the territorial integrity and

security of States, and destabilize legitimately constituted Governments, and that the

international community should take the steps necessary to enhance cooperation to prevent

and counter violent extremism;

2. Also reaffirms the primary responsibility of States in preventing and

countering violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations on the

territory under their jurisdiction, in full compliance with their international law obligations;

3. Urges States to ensure that any measures taken to prevent and counter violent

extremism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular

international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian

law;

4. Calls upon States and local entities involved in supporting the prevention and

countering of violent extremism efforts to continue to facilitate the promotion and

protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through human rights

education and training, as well as due process and the rule of law;

5. Encourages States to engage with local communities and non-governmental

actors through a whole-of-society approach in developing strategies that respect human

rights and fundamental freedoms to counter narratives that incite acts of violent extremism

and terrorism and address the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism,

including by empowering women, religious, cultural, education and local leaders, engaging

members of all concerned groups in civil society and from the private sector, adopting

tailored approaches that incorporate human rights and fundamental freedoms to prevent and

counter recruitment to this kind of violent extremism, and promoting social inclusion and

cohesion;

6. Stresses the need to empower youth, including by means of targeted youth

employment programmes that promote political participation, economic inclusion and

social cohesion and respect for human rights as a means to prevent and counter violent

extremism;

7. Reaffirms the important role that education, including human rights education

and training, can play in preventing and countering violent extremism, and in this regard

encourages States to cooperate in efforts to achieve the goals and targets under the

Education For All movement and work to achieve the aims of the United Nations

Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, adopted by the General Assembly in

its resolution 66/137 of 19 December 2011;

8. Emphasizes that tolerance and dialogue among civilizations and the

enhancement of interfaith and intercultural understanding and respect among peoples,

including at the national, regional and global levels, while avoiding the escalation of hatred

are among the most important elements in promoting cooperation, combating terrorism and

countering violent extremism, and welcomes the various initiatives to this end;

9. Expresses concern over the increased use by terrorists and violent extremists

and their supporters of communications technology for the purpose of radicalizing to

terrorism or violent extremism, recruiting and inciting others to commit acts of terrorism or

violent extremism, including through the Internet;

10. Calls upon Member States to advocate for and disseminate information on

tolerance and mutual respect, and underlines the potential contribution of the media and

new communications technology, including the Internet, to promoting respect for all human

rights, to developing a better understanding among all religions, beliefs, cultures and

peoples, to enhancing tolerance and mutual respect and thus to strengthening the rejection

of violent extremism;

11. Emphasizes that civil society should have an enabling environment to

develop, promote and advance comprehensive solutions to prevent and counter violent

extremism in line with national strategies and respecting human rights and fundamental

freedoms, and recognizing the contributions of civil society to these efforts;

12. Also emphasizes the need to enhance international cooperation and effective

partnerships, including by strengthening national capacities and developing, promoting and

implementing comprehensive and coordinated solutions that respect human rights and are

aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism;

13. Underscores the need to promote community-oriented and law enforcement

efforts that respect human rights in preventing and countering violent extremism;

14. Also underscores the need to prevent and counter radicalization that leads to

violent extremism in detention facilities and prisons, and to support rehabilitation and

reintegration measures while promoting human rights;

15. Recognizes the work of relevant United Nations agencies and international,

regional and subregional organizations and civil society in preventing and countering

violent extremism, as well as the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and its

entities, and the development and implementation of good practices in various forums such

as the Global Counterterrorism Forum, including as outlined in its Ankara Memorandum on

Good Practices for a Multi-Sectoral Approach to Countering Violent Extremism;

16. Underscores the central role of the United Nations in preventing and

countering violent extremism, notes the importance of relevant United Nations bodies and

entities in assisting States in this field, and calls upon the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant international stakeholders to complement

ongoing United Nations initiatives on preventing and countering violent extremism in full

accordance with their respective mandates;

17. Decides to convene a panel at its thirty-first session to discuss the human

rights dimensions of preventing and countering violent extremism, and requests the Office

of the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report on the panel discussion;

18. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a compilation

report on best practices and lessons learned on how protecting and promoting human rights

contribute to preventing and countering violent extremism by the thirty-third session of the

Council, and encourages the Office to consult with Member States, United Nations entities

and other organizations, as appropriate, to benefit from ongoing relevant work on the

human rights dimensions of preventing and countering violent extremism.

42nd meeting

2 October 2015

[Adopted by a recorded vote of 37 to 3, with 7 abstentions. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Congo, Côte

d’Ivoire, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, India,

Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro,

Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of

Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, the former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland, United States of America, Viet Nam

Against:

Russian Federation, South Africa, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Abstaining:

Bolivia (Plurinational State of), China, Cuba, El Salvador, Kazakhstan,

Namibia, Pakistan]