RES/36/18 Conscientious objection to military service

GE.17-17327(E)

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Human Rights Council Thirty-sixth session

11–29 September 2017

Agenda item 3

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 29 September 2017

36/18. Conscientious objection to military service

The Human Rights Council,

Bearing in mind that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights without distinction of any kind, such as race,

colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property,

birth or other status,

Reaffirming that it is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that everyone has the right to life,

liberty and security of person, as well as the right to freedom of thought, conscience and

religion and the right not to be discriminated against,

Recalling all previous relevant resolutions and decisions, including Human Rights

Council resolutions 20/2 of 5 July 2012 and 24/17 of 27 September 2013 and Commission

on Human Rights resolutions 1998/77 of 22 April 1998 and 2004/35 of 19 April 2004, in

which the Commission recognized the right of everyone to have conscientious objection to

military service as a legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and

religion, as laid down in article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 18

of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Human Rights Committee

general comment No. 22 (1993) on the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,

1. Takes note of the analytical report on conscientious objection to military

service presented by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-fifth session,1 pursuant to resolution 20/2;

2. Requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare, in consultation

with all States and the relevant intergovernmental organizations, United Nations agencies,

funds and programmes, special procedures, treaty bodies, national human rights institutions

and non-governmental organizations, a report on different approaches and challenges with

regard to application procedures for obtaining the status of conscientious objector to

1 A/HRC/35/4.

military service in accordance with human rights standards, and to present the report to the

Human Rights Council at its forty-first session;

3. Decides to continue consideration of this matter under the same agenda item

in accordance with its annual programme of work.

40th meeting

29 September 2017

[Adopted without a vote.]