UN Human Rights Council Resolution on the Right to Privacy in the Digital Age (2018)

For optimal readability, we highly recommend downloading the document PDF, which you can do below.

Document Information:

  • Year:
  • Country: Transnational
  • Language: English
  • Document Type: Other International Legal Instrument
  • Topic:


GE. 18 -05505 (E)

Human Rights Council
Thirty -seventh session
26 February –23 March 2018
Agenda item 3
R esolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 22 March 2018
37/2. The right to privacy in the digital age
The Human Rights Council ,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
Reaffirming the human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international human rights treaties, including the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
Recalling all previous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Human
Rights Council on the right to privacy in the digital age,
Recalling also its resolutions 5/1, on institution -building of the Human Rights
Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate Holde rs of the
Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that all mandate holders shall discharge their duties
in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,
1. Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to
privacy for a period of three years under the same terms as provided for by the Human
Rights Council in its resolution 28/16 of 26 March 2015 ;
2. Calls upo n all States to cooperate fully with and to assist the Special
Rapporteur in the performance of the mandate, in cluding by providing all necessary
information requested by him or her, to respond promptly to his or her urgent appeals and
other communications, to consider favourably the mandate holder’s requests to visit their
countries and to consider implementing th e recommendations made by the mandate holder
in his or her reports;
3. Encourages all relevant stakeholders, including the United Nations and its
agencies, programmes and funds, regional human rights mechanisms, national human rights
institutions, civil society and the private sector to cooperate fully with the Special
Rapporteur to en able him or her to fulfil the mandate;
United Nations A /HRC/ RES/ 37/ 2

General Assembly Distr.: General
6 April 2018

Original: English

A/HRC/ RES/ 37/ 2
2
4. Requests the Secretary -General and the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the human and financial
resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate;
5. Decides to continue its consideration of the matter under the same agenda
item.
53rd meeting
22 March 2018
[Adopted without a vote.]