RES/35/19 Extreme poverty and human rights

GE.17-11594(E)

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Human Rights Council Thirty-fifth session

6–23 June 2017

Agenda item 3

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 22 June 2017

35/19. Extreme poverty and human rights

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

the International Covenants on Human Rights, the ideal of a world in which all human

beings can enjoy freedom from fear and want can be achieved only if conditions are created

whereby everyone may enjoy his or her economic, social and cultural rights, as well as his

or her civil and political rights, and reaffirming in this regard the International Covenant on

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

Rights,

Recalling also all previous resolutions on the issue of human rights and extreme

poverty adopted by the General Assembly, including resolutions 69/183 of 18 December

2014 and 71/186 of 19 December 2016, and by the Commission on Human Rights, as well

as Human Rights Council resolutions, including Council resolutions 2/2 of 27 November

2006, 7/27 of 28 March 2008, 8/11 of 18 June 2008, 12/19 of 2 October 2009, 15/19 of 30

September 2010, 17/13 of 17 June 2011, 21/11 of 27 September 2012 and 26/3 of 26 June

2014, and noting the Declaration on the Right to Development,

Recalling further that, in its resolution 62/205 of 19 December 2007, the General

Assembly proclaimed the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty

(2008-2017) in order to support, in an efficient and coordinated manner, the internationally

agreed development goals relating to poverty eradication, including the Millennium

Development Goals,

Recalling that, in its resolution 67/164 of 20 December 2012, the General Assembly

took note with appreciation of the guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights,

adopted by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 21/11, as a useful tool for States in

the formulation and implementation of poverty reduction and eradication policies, as

appropriate,

Reaffirming in this regard the commitments made at relevant United Nations

conferences and summits, including those made at the World Summit for Social

Development, held in Copenhagen in 1995, at the Millennium Summit, at which Heads of

State and Government committed themselves to eradicate extreme poverty and to halve, by

2015, the proportion of the world’s people whose income is less than one dollar a day and

of those who suffer from hunger, and at the 2005 World Summit, and welcoming the

conclusions of the summit on the Millennium Development Goals, held in New York from

20 to 22 September 2010,

Recalling that, in its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, the General Assembly

adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and resolved to end poverty in all

its forms and dimensions by 2030, recognizing that eradicating poverty is the greatest

global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development,

Deeply concerned that extreme poverty persists in all countries of the world,

regardless of their economic, social and cultural situation, and that its extent and

manifestations are particularly severe in developing countries,

Reaffirming that the existence of widespread extreme poverty inhibits the full and

effective enjoyment of human rights and that its immediate alleviation and eventual

eradication must remain a high priority for the international community, and that the efforts

towards the achievement of this goal should be strengthened,

Stressing that respect for all human rights – civil, political, economic, social and

cultural rights – which are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated, is of

crucial importance for all policies and programmes to effectively fight extreme poverty at

the local and national levels,

Recalling its resolutions 5/1, on the institution-building of the Human Rights

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 or her

duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

1. Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human

rights, including his thematic reports and country visits;

2. Decides to extend, for a period of three years, the mandate of the Special

Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, as set out in Human Rights Council

resolution 8/11;

3. Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights to continue to give high priority to extreme poverty and human rights, to pursue

further work in this area in full cooperation with the Special Rapporteur in the various

activities, and to continue to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the assistance

necessary for the effective fulfilment of his mandate;

4. Requests the Special Rapporteur to submit an annual report on the

implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly and to the Human Rights

Council, in accordance with their programmes of work;

5. Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special

Rapporteur in his task, to supply all necessary information requested by the mandate holder,

and to respond favourably to the requests of the Special Rapporteur to visit their countries

to enable him to fulfil his mandate effectively;

6. Invites relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, the treaty

bodies and civil society actors, including non-governmental organizations, as well as the

private sector, to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur in the fulfilment of his

mandate;

7. Decides to continue its consideration of the issue of extreme poverty and

human rights in accordance with its programme of work.

36th meeting

22 June 2017

[Adopted without a vote.]