UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Freedom of Assembly and Association (Oct. 2012)

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  • Country: Transnational
  • Language: English
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GE.12 -16997
Human Rights Council
Twent y-first session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil ,
political, economic, social and cultural ri ghts,
including the right to development
Albania *, Argentina *, Australia *, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina *,
Bulgaria *, Canada *, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia *, Cyprus *, Czech Republic, Denmark *,
Estonia *, Finland *, France *, Georgia *, Germany *, Gre ece *, Guatemala, Honduras *,
Hungary, Iceland *, Indonesia, Ireland *, Italy, Latvia *, Liechtenstein *, Lithuania *,
Luxembourg *, Maldives, Malta *, Mexico, Montenegro *, Netherlands *, Nigeria,
Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal *, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia *, Slovakia *,
Slovenia *, Spain, Sweden *, Switzerland, Turkey *, United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland *, United States of America : draft resolution
21/… The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
The Human Rights Council ,
Reaffirming Human Rights Council resolution 15/21 of 30 September 2010,
and rec lling Council resolutions 19/35 of 23 March 2012 and 20/8 of 5 July 2012 and
relevant resolutions of the Commission on Hum an Rights ,
Recognizing the importance of the rights of everyone to freedom of peaceful
assembly and of association to the full enjoyment of all human rights,
Reiterating the critical mandate, role, expertise and specialized super visory
mechanisms and procedures of the International Labour Organization with respect to
employers’ and workers’ rights to freedom of association,
Taking n ote with appreciation of the report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights
to freedo m of peaceful assembly and of association, 1
Reiterating the important role of new information and communication s technologies
in enabling and facilitating the enjoyment of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and
of association ,

* Non -Member State of the Human Rights Council .
1 A/HRC/20/27.
United Nations A /HRC/ 21/L. 25

General Assembly Distr.: Limited
21 September 2012

Original: English

A/HRC/21/L.25
2
Reiterating also the importance that all States promote and facilitate access to the
Internet , and of international cooperation aimed at the development of media and
information and communications facilities in all countries,
Recognizing the importance of the freedoms of peaceful assembly and of
association, as well as the importance of civil society, to good governance, including
through transparency and accountability, which is indispensible for building peaceful,
prosperous and democratic societies,
Aware of the crucial importance of active involvement of civil society in processes
of governance that affect the life of people,
1. Calls upon States to respect and fully protect the rights of all individuals to
assemble peacefully and associate freely, online as well as offline, including in the context
of elections, and including persons espousing minority or dissenting views or beliefs,
human rights defenders, trade unionists a nd others, including migrants, seeking to exercise
or to promote these rights, and to take all necessary measures to ensure that any restrictions
on the free exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are in
accordance with their obligations under international human rights law ;
2. Expresses its c oncern at the limitations imposed by States on the rights to
freedom of peaceful assembly and of association other than those permitted by international
law, in particular international human rights law ;
3. Emphasizes the critical role of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and
of association for civil society, and recognizes that civil society facilitates the achievement
of the purposes and p rinciples of the United Nations ;
4. Stresses that respect for the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of
association, in relation to civil society, contributes to addressing and resolving challenges
and issues that are imp ortant to society, such as the environment, sustainable development,
crime prevention, human trafficking, empowering women, social justice, consumer
protection and the realization of all human rights ;
5. Reiterates its call upon States to cooperate fully with and assist the Special
Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the
performance of his mandate ;
6. Reiterates its call upon the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights to assist States to promote and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful
assembly and of association, including through the technical assistance programmes of the
Office, at the request of States, and to cooperate with r elevant bodies of the United Nations
system and other intergovernmental organizations to assist States to promote and protect
the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association ;
7. Invites the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly
and of association to include, in his next annual report, the importance of the freedom of
peaceful assembly and of association to the work of civil society actors, including with
respect to the progressiv e realization of economic, social and cultural rights ;
8. Requests the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful
assembly and of association to present an annual report to the General Assembly ;
9. Decides to continue i ts consideration of the issue of the rights to freedom of
peaceful assembly and of association in accordance with its program me of work.