RES/6/26 Elaboration of human rights voluntary goals to be launched on the occasion of the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Human Rights Council

Resolution 6/26. Elaboration of human rights voluntary goals to be launched on the occasion of the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Human Rights Council,

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

Nations,

Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

Recognizing the importance of the core international human rights instruments,

Recognizing also the relevance of optional protocols of the core international

human rights instruments,

Bearing in mind that 2008 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights,

Taking note with appreciation of the initiative of member and associate States

of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), to present a proposal to

elaborate a set of human rights goals to be pursued, inspired by the Millennium

Development Goals, to promote the implementation of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights, and also taking note with great appreciation of the process towards

broadening cross-regional support for that initiative,

Taking into account that the above-mentioned initiative could bring more

visibility and public awareness to the United Nations human rights system with a view

to the promotion and protection of all human rights,

Recalling that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and

mutually reinforcing,

1. Decides to initiate an open-ended intergovernmental process in order to

elaborate, on a consensual basis, a set of human rights voluntary goals, to promote the

realization and implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in

accordance with States’ international human rights obligations and commitments to be

launched on 10 December 2008 during the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

2. Also decides to the end described in paragraph 1 above to take the

following steps:

(a) To invite States to refer to the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to human rights voluntary goals at the

High-level Segment of the Human Rights Council at its session in March 2008, and to

hold a panel with the aim of exchanging views on the issue of human rights voluntary

goals at that session;

(b) To invite the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

Human Rights to present to the Human Rights Council by its session in June 2008

information on the programmes and activities to commemorate the sixtieth

anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

(c) To hold thereafter open-ended intergovernmental informal

consultations to elaborate a set of human rights voluntary goals to be presented to the

Human Rights Council, on a consensual basis, through a draft resolution to be adopted

by the Council at the end of its session in September 2008;

3. Further decides that the open-ended intergovernmental process will

lead to the elaboration of human rights voluntary goals under the following issues:

(a) Universal ratification of the core international human rights

instruments;

(b) Elaboration, in each country, where they do not exist, of national

human rights programmes, and the creation of national institutions responsible for

human rights issues, in accordance with the Vienna Declaration and Programme of

Action of 1993 and the Paris Principles;

(c) Adoption of a legal, institutional and policy framework at the national

level in order to ensure the promotion and protection of all human rights;

(d) Definition, within the framework of national human rights programmes,

of targets and actions in the field of capacity-building as well as of a programme of

human rights education and identification of needs and shortcomings related to

international cooperation;

(e) Definition within the framework of national human rights programmes

of targets and actions in compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

inter alia, to eliminate discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language,

religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other

status;

4. Emphasizes that such human rights voluntary goals are to be regarded

as reinforcing and by no means as replacing, either totally or partially, existing human

rights obligations and commitments, including the implementation of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights;

5. Welcomes participation in the process of representatives of the United

Nations and of regional human rights systems, as well as of all relevant stakeholders,

according to the rules of procedure of the Human Rights Council;

6. Decides to consider the results of the open-ended intergovernmental

process in elaborating a set of human rights voluntary goals to be submitted to the

Human Rights Council, on a consensual basis, through a draft resolution, by its

session in September 2008;

7. Encourages States and all relevant stakeholders to present to the

Human Rights Council, during the commemoration process, the projects and activities

undertaken at the national, regional and international levels on the occasion of the

sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

[Adopted without a vote] 33rd meeting

14 December 2007

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