RES/29/11 The negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights

Human Rights Council Twenty-ninth session

Agenda item 3

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 2 July 2015

29/11. 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 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, and 23/9 of 13 June 2013,

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

States are signatories and 175 States are parties, has been the most comprehensive and

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

which the purposes 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, and in Panama City in

2013, and looking forward to the sixth session of the Conference, to be held in Saint

Petersburg, Russian Federation, in 2015,

Reaffirming that States have the primary responsibility for the promotion and

protection of human rights,

Acknowledging that good governance has a central role in the promotion and

protection of human rights and in the prevention of and the fight against corruption at all

levels,

Deeply concerned about the increasing negative impact of widespread corruption on

the enjoyment of all human rights, including by reducing the resources available for all

sectors in development, thereby hampering the realization of all human rights,

Emphasizing that human rights education and awareness-raising campaigns and

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

Recalling that transparency, access to information, accountability, non-

discrimination and meaningful participation are an integral part of sustainable and

comprehensive anti-corruption measures,

Welcoming the commitment made by all States in the 2005 World Summit Outcome1

to make the fight against corruption a priority at all levels,

Welcoming also the engagement of States parties to the United Nations Convention

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

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

through 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,

Welcoming further the efforts made to address corruption in the ongoing

negotiations of the post-2015 development agenda, in particular the proposed target on

substantially reducing corruption and bribery in all their forms,

Welcoming the joint statement on the negative impact of corruption on the

enjoyment of human rights made on behalf of 134 States Members of the United Nations at

the twentieth session of the Human Rights Council,

Welcoming also the holding by the Human Rights Council, at its twenty-second

session, of a panel discussion on the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of

human rights,

1. Takes note with interest of 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;A/HRC/28/73.

2. Urges States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying or acceding to the

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

Convention to implement it;

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, calls for the strengthening of prevention measures at all levels, and underlines that

one key aspect of preventive measures is to address the needs of groups in vulnerable

situations who may be the first victims of corruption;

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

sustainable development can be combated 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;

1 General Assembly resolution 60/1.

6. Encourages consideration of the need for cooperation between national anti-

corruption authorities and national human rights institutions, where they exist, through the

exchange of information, where appropriate, and the development of joint strategies and

action plans to fight corruption and its negative effects on the enjoyment of human rights;

7. 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 States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to

exchange views to deepen the understanding of the nexus between corruption and human

rights;

8. 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;

9. Requests the High Commissioner to prepare a 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, with a view to submitting it the Council at its thirty-second

session.

43rd meeting

2 July 2015

[Adopted without a vote.]