Part One: Resolutions, decisions and President’s statements I. Resolutions adopted by the Council at its eighth session 8/1. Conference facilities and financial support
for the Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council,
Bearing in mind General Assembly resolutions 60/251 of 15 March 2006 and Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007,
Recalling Council decision 3/104 of 8 December 2006 on conference facilities and financial support for the Council and the report of the Secretary-General on its implementation (A/62/125),
1. Reaffirms the need to ensure the provision of necessary financial resources to the Council and its working groups in order to discharge its mandate fully, as stipulated in General Assembly resolution 60/251 and implemented by Council resolution 5/1;
2. Expresses its concern at the delays in the submission of documents to the Council, including those relating to the universal periodic review, and in particular the delays in the translation of documents into the six official languages of the United Nations, and in this context requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Conference Services Division at the United Nations Office at Geneva to make an assessment of the situation and to report back to the Council at its ninth session with proposals for adequate measures, bearing in mind the necessity of maintaining financial efficiency, to address these problems;
3. Reaffirms that the Council will consider favourably the adoption of a decision on the webcasting of all public proceedings of its various working groups, taking into account the principles of transparency, equal treatment and non-selectivity and, in this context, requests the Department of Public Information of the United Nations Office at Geneva to make an assessment of the situation and to report back to the Council at its ninth session with proposals for adequate measures, including the necessary resources to establish a permanent capacity for webcasting.
28th meeting
18 June 2008
Adopted without a vote.
8/2. Optional Protocol to the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The Human Rights Council,
Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
Recalling that, in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted in June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights (A/CONF.157/24), the World Conference encouraged the Commission on Human Rights to continue the examination of optional protocols to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
Recalling also that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the 2005 World Summit Outcome and General Assembly resolution 60/251 establishing the Human Rights Council all affirm that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing and must be treated in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis,
Bearing in mind previous resolutions of the Council and the Commission on Human Rights on the realization of economic, social and cultural rights, and in particular Council resolution 1/3 on the Open-ended Working Group on an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
Welcoming the report of the Working Group (A/HRC/8/7) and the decision to transmit the draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to the Council for its consideration,
1. Adopts the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights annexed to the present resolution;
2. Recommends that the General Assembly, in accordance with paragraph 5 (c) of its resolution 60/251, adopt the following draft resolution:
“The General Assembly,
Welcoming the adoption by the Human Rights Council, through its resolution ..., of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
1. Adopts and opens for signature, ratification and accession the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the text of which is annexed to the present resolution;
2. Recommends that the Optional Protocol be opened for signature at a signing ceremony in Geneva in March 2009 and requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the necessary assistance.”
Annex OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT
ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Preamble
The States Parties to the present Protocol,
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Noting that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, 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,
Recalling that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights recognize that the ideal of free human beings enjoying freedom from fear and want can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights,
Reaffirming the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Recalling that each State Party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Covenant) undertakes to take steps, individually and through international assistance and cooperation, especially economic and technical, to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the rights recognized in the Covenant by all appropriate means, including particularly the adoption of legislative measures,
Considering that, in order further to achieve the purposes of the Covenant and the implementation of its provisions, it would be appropriate to enable the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) to carry out the functions provided for in the present Protocol,
Have agreed as follows:
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