RES/35/25 The negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights

GE.17-11925(E)



Human Rights Council Thirty-fifth session

6–23 June 2017

Agenda item 3

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 23 June 2017

35/25. The negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human

rights

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations,

Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants

on Human Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments,

Recalling all relevant resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and the

Human Rights Council, including Council resolutions 19/20 of 23 March 2012 and 31/14 of

23 March 2016, on the role of good governance in the promotion and protection of human

rights, 21/13 of 27 September 2012, on a panel discussion on the negative impact of

corruption on the enjoyment of human rights, 23/9 of 13 June 2013 and 29/11 of 2 July

2015,

Recalling also that the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which 140

States are signatories and 181 States are parties, has been the most comprehensive and

universal instrument on corruption since its entry into force on 14 December 2005, and the

purposes of which are outlined in its article 1,

Noting with interest the outcomes of the third, fourth and fifth sessions of the

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held,

respectively, in Doha in 2009, in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2011, in Panama City in 2013,

and the sixth session of the Conference, held in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, in

2015, as well as plans to convene the seventh session of the Conference in Vienna in 2017,

and stressing the need for States parties to the Convention to ensure the effective

implementation of the resolutions adopted by the Conference,

Noting the compilation of best practices of efforts to counter the negative impact of

corruption on the enjoyment of all human rights developed by States, national human rights

institutions, national anti-corruption authorities, civil society and academia, prepared by the

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and submitted to the

Council at its thirty-second session,1

Reaffirming that States have the primary responsibility for the promotion and

protection of human rights,

Recognizing that the international legal frameworks for protecting human rights and

fighting corruption are complementary and mutually reinforcing,

Recognizing also that improvements in the promotion and protection of human

rights at the domestic level have a central role to play in the prevention of and the fight

against corruption at all levels,

Recognizing further that good governance and the rule of law, and the promotion

and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to seek,

receive and impart information, the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs and the

right to a fair trial before a competent, independent and impartial court, established by law,

are essential in domestic efforts to prevent and fight against corruption,

Highlighting the global character of corruption and the consequential need for

international cooperation to prevent and suppress corruption and to recover assets of illicit

origin derived from acts of corruption,

Recognizing the increasing awareness in the international community of the

detrimental impact of widespread corruption on human rights through both the weakening

of institutions and the erosion of public trust in government, and through the impairment of

the ability of Governments to fulfil all their human rights obligations and to realize, within

the maximum available resources, the Sustainable Development Goals,

Welcoming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,2 including its

recognition of the need to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies that provide equal

access to justice and that are based on respect for human rights, on effective rule of law and

on good governance at all levels, and on transparent, effective and accountable institutions,

and its addressing of factors that give rise to violence, insecurity and injustice, such as

inequality, corruption, poor governance and illicit financial and arms flows,

Acknowledging that marginalized groups are at particular risk of suffering from the

adverse impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights,

Recognizing that such an adverse impact can lead to and be further aggravated by

discrimination,

Stressing that preventive measures are one of the most effective means of countering

corruption and of avoiding its negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights, and

underlining that those measures should be strengthened at all levels,

Recognizing the importance of creating a safe and enabling environment for civil

society, whistle-blowers, witnesses, anti-corruption activists, journalists, prosecutors,

lawyers and judges, and of protecting these individuals from any threats arising from their

activities in preventing and fighting against corruption,

Underlining the importance of an independent and impartial judiciary, an

independent legal profession, an objective and impartial prosecution and the integrity of the

judicial system to prevent and fight corruption and to address its negative impact on human

1 A/HRC/32/22.

2 General Assembly resolution 70/1.

rights, in line with rule of law and the right to a fair trial, to access to justice and to an

effective remedy, without discrimination,

Stressing the importance of setting up an appropriate legal framework to safeguard

human rights while preventing and fighting corruption,

Emphasizing that human rights education and awareness-raising campaigns and

other measures are important enablers for the prevention of and the fight against corruption,

Acknowledging that the State should protect against any adverse human rights

impact arising from acts of corruption involving non-State actors, including the private

sector, through effective regulatory and investigative mechanisms, with a view to holding

perpetrators to account, recovering assets of illicit origin derived from acts of corruption

and providing redress to victims,

Highlighting that States shall, in accordance with their respective legal systems,

endeavour to establish and promote effective practices aimed at the prevention of

corruption and its impact on the enjoyment of human rights, and to periodically evaluate

relevant legal instruments and administrative measures with a view to determining their

adequacy to prevent and fight corruption, including by ensuring transparency, access to

public information, accountability, non-discrimination and meaningful participation in the

conduct of public affairs,

Observing that corruption frequently results in discriminatory access to public

services and goods, and renders those in vulnerable situations more prone to adversely

suffering from the negative social and environmental impact of economic activities,

Highlighting that national human rights institutions could play an important role in

raising awareness and promoting educational and training activities regarding the impact of

corruption on human rights, through their complaint procedures, investigations and

analysis,

Highlighting also the opportunities provided by information and communications

technology to strengthen transparency and accountability, as well as to prevent, detect and

investigate corruption,

Stressing the importance of indicators, as appropriate, for measuring the negative

impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights and on the realization of the

Sustainable Development Goals,

Underlining the importance of mainstreaming anti-corruption efforts into national

development strategies and processes in order to address corruption and to achieve the

Sustainable Development Goals,

Welcoming the engagement of States parties to the United Nations Convention

against Corruption through appropriate measures, such as the development of national plans

of action to strengthen implementation of the Convention at the domestic level and

participation in the Mechanism for the Review of Implementation of the United Nations

Convention against Corruption, aimed at identifying gaps and assisting countries in meeting

the objectives of the Convention,

Recalling the final report of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on the

issue of the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights,3

3 A/HRC/28/73.

1. Urges States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying the United

Nations Convention against Corruption, and calls upon States parties to the Convention to

effectively implement it;

2. Welcomes the commitments made by all States in Sustainable Development

Goal 16 and its target 16.5 to substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms;

3. Underlines the necessity to step up cooperation and coordination among

different stakeholders at the national, regional and international levels to fight corruption in

all its forms as a means of contributing positively to the promotion and protection of human

rights;

4. Stresses that preventive measures are one of the most effective means of

countering corruption and of avoiding its negative impact on the enjoyment of human

rights;

5. Urges States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, while addressing

the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights, a safe and enabling

environment in which civil society can operate free from hindrance and insecurity;

6. Calls for the strengthening of preventive measures at all levels, and

underlines that one key aspect of preventive measures is to address the needs of those in

vulnerable situations who may be the first victims of corruption;

7. Recognizes that the negative impact of corruption on human rights and

sustainable development can be addressed and prevented through anti-corruption education,

and notes with appreciation the capacity-building activities and specialized curricula

developed by relevant institutions, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

and the International Anti-Corruption Academy;

8. Encourages national anti-corruption authorities and national human rights

institutions, where they exist, to cooperate through the exchange of information, where

appropriate, and the development of joint strategies and plans of action to fight corruption

and its negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights;

9. Stresses that international cooperation can contribute to the prevention of the

negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights, including through the

delivery of advisory services, technical assistance and capacity-building, and the exchange

of best practices to support States, upon their request, in their efforts to prevent and to fight

corruption;

10. Invites the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as the secretariat of the

Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to

exchange views and to keep each other abreast of ongoing activities to deepen the

understanding of the nexus between corruption and human rights;

11. Encourages the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council to consider,

within their existing mandates, the issue of the negative impact of corruption on the

enjoyment of human rights;

12. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner to organize, before the thirty-

ninth session of the Human Rights Council, in coordination with the United Nations Office

on Drugs and Crime and with the participation of relevant United Nations entities, an

intersessional, half-day open-ended expert workshop, with the objective of exchanging best

practices on how the United Nations system supports States in preventing and fighting

against corruption, with a focus on human rights;

13. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report

of the above-mentioned seminar, and to submit the report to the Human Rights Council at

its forty-first session.

37th meeting

23 June 2017

[Adopted without a vote.]