RES/9/12 Human rights voluntary goals

Human Rights Council

Resolution 9/12. Human rights voluntary goals

The Human Rights Council,

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

Reaffirming the provisions and the paramount role of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights, the sixtieth anniversary of which will be celebrated in 2008, in providing the basis for the

development of laws and mechanisms to promote and protect human rights, both nationally and

internationally,

Reaffirming also the provisions and the decisive importance of the Vienna Declaration and

Programme of Action, the fifteenth anniversary of which is celebrated in 2008, which recognizes

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

Recognizing the importance of the core international human rights instruments,

Recognizing also the relevance of the optional protocols to the core international human

rights instruments,

Taking note with appreciation of the broad support for the initiative to elaborate a set of

human rights voluntary goals, inspired by the Millennium Development Goals, which led to the

adoption, by consensus, of Council resolution 6/26,

Welcoming the open-ended intergovernmental process initiated by the Council in its

resolution 6/26, with special attention to the high-level panel on human rights voluntary goals

held at the seventh session of the Council, 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 celebrations of the sixtieth

anniversary of the Declaration,

page 2 Taking into account the fact 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,

Recognizing the universal periodic review mechanism as an important instrument for the

promotion and protection of human rights and, inter alia, for fostering international cooperation

and facilitating the exchange of information on best practices in this regard,

Emphasizing 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,

1. Encourages States to accomplish progressively the following set of human rights

voluntary goals:

(a) Universal ratification of the core international human rights instruments and

dedication of all efforts towards the universalization of the international human rights obligations

of States;

(b) Strengthening of the legal, institutional and policy framework at the national level in

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

(c) Establishment of human rights national institutions guided by the Paris Principles

and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action with appropriate funding to fulfil their

mandates;

(d) Elaboration of national human rights programmes and plans of action to strengthen

the capacity of States to promote and protect human rights;

(e) Definition and implementation of national programmes of action that promote the

realization of the rights and goals set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to,

inter alia, 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, and all forms

of violence against, inter alia, women, children, indigenous populations, migrants and persons

with disabilities;

page 3 (f) Adoption and implementation of programmes of human rights education, such as the

World Programme for Human Rights Education, in all learning institutions, including

capacity-building programmes for law enforcement professionals, in order to advance a culture

of respect for human rights;

(g) Increasing cooperation with all mechanisms of the United Nations human rights

system, including special procedures and treaty bodies;

(h) Strengthening of mechanisms to facilitate international cooperation in the field of

human rights by, inter alia, identifying areas to which international cooperation might be offered

and received, in accordance with national priorities;

(i) Creation of favourable conditions at the national, regional and international levels to

ensure the full and effective enjoyment of all human rights, including the right to development;

(j) Strengthening the capacity to fight hunger and poverty through, inter alia, the

continuation of efforts aimed at identifying additional forms of international cooperation in this

regard;

2. Invites States, if they deem it appropriate and where relevant, to report on the

progressive implementation of the human rights voluntary goals within the United Nations

human rights system in, inter alia, the context of their review under the universal periodic review

mechanism;

3. Requests States to disseminate and promote the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights as widely as possible;

4. Reinforces the invitation to States and all relevant stakeholders to submit to the

Council 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;

5. Invites States to report on the status of the implementation of these human rights

voluntary goals on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights;

page 4 6. Welcomes its initiative to convene a commemorative session of the sixtieth

anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to seize that opportunity to

launch the human rights voluntary goals.

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