A/RES/2714(XXV) GA

Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Third Committee 79 ---------- to the effect that they should refrain from action running counter to the main purposes of that Convention; 9. Requests the Secretary-General to continue, in the light of the comments and observations submitted by Governments, the study of the question of the punishment of war crimes and crimes against humanity and the criteria for determining compensation to the victims of such crimes, in order to submit a report on this question to the General Assembly at its twenty- sixth session. 1930th plenary meeting, 15 December 1970. 2713 (XXV). Measures to be taken against nazism and racial intolerance The General Assembly, Reaffirming its faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and abiding by them, Recalling its resolutions 2331 (XXII) of 18 Decem- ber 1967, 2438 (XXIII) of 19 December 1968 and 2545 (XXIV) of 11 December 1969, Noting that nazism, racism, apartheid and other similar ideologies and practices have in the past re- peatedly led to barbarous acts that trouble the ( con- science of mankind, and ultimately to war, and still have the power to threaten universal peace and the security of nations, Deeply concerned by the fact that, twenty-five years after the foundation of the United Nations, the activities of groups and organizations which are proponents of the ideologies and practices of nazism, racism and apartheid are still continuing, Expressing its deep concern at the fact that not all the States concerned have taken the measures specified in the aforementioned resolutions for the complete prohibition of Nazi and racist organizations and groups and for their prosecution in the courts, Welcoming the contribution which the relevant spe- cialized agencies can make to the fight against naZism and racial intolerance and the measures already taken by many of them in this respect, Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolution 4 (XXVI) of 4 March 1970,86 in which the Commis- sion noted the tentative nature of the findings on this subject in the study on racial discrimination prepared by the Special Rapporteur37 and requested the Sub- Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Pro- tection of Minorities to continue its study, placing special emphasis on measures to be taken to detect and effectively to prevent contemporary activities that might be inspired by nazism or any other totalitarian ideology based on incitement to hatred and racial intolerance, 1. Again resolutely condemns nazism, racism, apartheid and other totalitarian and colonial ideologies and practices which are based on terror and racial in- tolerance; 2. Urges the States concerned to implement without delay the resolutions of the General Assembly and, in particular, to take legislative and other effective me¥ures with a view to the speedy and final eradica- tion of nazism, including its contemporary forms, of 86 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 5 (E/4816), chapter xxm. BT E/CN.4/Sub.2/301. racism and of other similar ideologies and practices based on terror and racial intolerance; 3. Calls upon States during 1971, the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Dis- crimination, to take all effective measures to combat s:ontemporary manifestations of nazism and other forms of racial intolerance; 4. Decides to retain on its agenda the item con- cerning measures to be taken against nazism and other totalitarian ideologies and practices based on incite- ment to hatred and racial intolerance. 1930th plenary meeting, 15 December 1970. 2714 (XXV). Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedom.8, including policies of racial discrimination and eegre. gation and of apartheid, in all countries, with particular reference to colonial and other dependent countries and Territories The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 2440 (XXIII) of 19 Decem- ber 1968 in which, inter alia, it condemned any and every practice of torture, inhuman and degrading treat- ment of detainees and prisoners in South African prisons and in South African police custody duimg mterrogation and detention, Recalling its resolution 2505 (XXIV) of 20 Novem- ber 1969 in which it expressed the firm intention of the United Nations, acting in co-operation with the Organization of African Unity, to intensify its efforts to find a solution to the present grave situation in southern Africa, Also recalling Security Council resolutions 264 ( 1969) of 20 March 1969 and 269 (1969) of n August 1969 on Namibia, Further recalling General Assembly resolution 254 7 A (XXIV) of 11 December 1969 relating, inter alia, to the inhuman and degrading treatment and torture of political prisoners, detainees and captured freedom fighters in the Territories ruled by Governments and rlgimes wedded to the policies of apartheid, radal dis- crimination and colonialism in southern Africa, Determined to promote immediate and urgent actiou with a view to restoring the human rights and funda- mental freedoms of the oppressed peoples of southern Africa, 1. Commends the Ad Hoe Working Group of Ex- perts on the treatment of political prisoners in South Africii88 for its valuable report;39 2. Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggles of the peoples of southern Africa to oppose the policies of apartheid, racial discrimination and colonialism and to assert their right to self-determination; 3. Condemns any and every practice of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners, detainees and captured free- dom fighters in Namibia, Southern Rhodesia and the African Territories under Portuguese domination, as well as of persons in police custody in these Territories; 88 Established under Commission on Hrlman Rights resolu- tion 2 (XXIII) of 6 March 1967. 89 E/CN.4/984 and Add.1, Add.2/Rev.1, Add.3/Rev.1, Add.4 and S, Add.6/Rev.1, Add.7/Rev.1, Add.8 and 9, Add.10/ Rev.I, Add.11/Rev.1, Add.12-14, Add.lS/Rev.1, Add.16/Rev.1 and Add. 17-19. General A.11embly-Twenty-fifth Seesion . 4. A.gain condemns any and every practice of tor- ture and ill-treatment of prisoners and detainees in prisons and in police custody in South Africa; S. Reaffirms that the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, of 30 August 1955,'° apply to all political prisoners or detainees, in prisou or in police custody throughout South Africa, Namibia- a Territory under direct United Nations responsibility and at present under illegal South African occupation- the rebel United Kingdom colony of Southern Rhodesia and the African Territories under Portuguese domina- tion; 6. Condemns the trial of the twenty-two Africans held under the Suppression of Communism Act and further condemns their subsequent re-arrest under the notorious Terrorism Act of 1967; 1. Reaffirms that: (a} The condition of political prisoners in South Africa continues to cause alarm; ( b) The increasing co-operation between the Gov- ernment of South Africa and the illegal racist regime in Southern Rhodesia poses a further and continuing threat to the opponents of the two regimes and to captured freedom fighters; (c) Sections 10 and 29 of the General Law Amend- ment Act, 1969, concerning the Bureau of State Security, not only constitute one of the most sinister pieces of legislation in recent years, but also contribute decisively towards making South Africa a complete police State, and the working of that law is also con- trary to article 11, paragraph 1, of the Universal Dec- laration of Human Rights, since it prevents the accused from proving his innocence; (d) Many political prisoners and detainees have died in South African prisons during 1969, in conditions which warrant a full inquiry; (e) Mr. James Lenkoe, a P,Olitical prisoner in South Africa, did not commit suiCide as reported, but died as a result of electric shocks administered to various parts of his body; (f) The practice of compelling prisoners to testify against their erstwhile comrades is reprehensible; (g) In the Caprivi Strip, Namibian villages have been shelled by the occupying South African security forces and indiscriminate firing has been resorted to in villages that are suspected of harbouring freedom fighters; (h) The system of "Bantustans" established in South Africa is being gradually extended to the occupied Territory of Namibia; (i) In the absence of intervention by the United Nations, the occupation of Namibia by South Africa is resulting in ever increasing hardship to the non-white population as well as a total suppression of human rights there; (i) The so-called "Constitution of Rhodesia" of 1969 is an illegal as well as a pernicious document and the "Declaration of Rights" embodied in it confers few, if any, rights on non-Whites; (k) Section 84 of the 1969 "Constitution of Rhodesia", providing that no court shall inquire into or pronounce upon the validity of any law on the ground that it is inconsistent with the "Declaration of '° See First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders: report prepared by the Secretariat (United Nations publication, Sales No.: 1956.IV.4), annex I, A. Rights", establishes a clear inconsistency in the illegal "legislation" itself and, further, brings out the author- itarian and racist character of the illegal regime in Southern Rhodesia; ( l) The reserves in Southern Rhodesia consist of poor and infertile lands into which Africans are herded like cattle; ( m) The condition of Africans in the reserves is appalling and nothing is being done to improve their conditions of hygiene, diet, nutrition, sanitation, health and their educational standards; (n) In the Por.:uguese Territories, the mass killing of suspected opponents of the regime continues unabated; ( o) The most inhuman form of forced labour pre- vails in the African Territories under Portuguese domination; 8. Calls upon the Government of South Africa to implement the recommendations contained in the earlier reports of the Ad Hoe Working Group of Ex- perts and also: (a) To disband immediately the Bureau of State Security; ( b) To discontinue the practice by which political detainees are compelled to testify against their former colleagues; (c) To release immediately and unconditionally the twenty-two Africans re-arrested on 16 February 1970 under the Terrorism Act; (d) To grant full access at all trials of political op- ponents of the regime to independent outside ob- servers; ( e) To permit a full and impartial investigation into the deaths of political prisoners and detainees in its gaols as well as to indemnify fully the families of the deceased; 9. Condemns the trial of the eight Namibians under the Terrorism Act, which took place at Windhoek between July and November 1969, and further calls upon the Government of South Africa: (a) To release immediately and unconditionally those tried under the above-mentioned Terrorism Act; ( b) To desist forthwith from the extension of the "Bantustans" system into Namibia; 10. Once again calls upon the Government of South Africa to terminate its illegal occupation of the Ter- ritory of Namibia in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions; 11. Calls upon the Government of the United King- dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to intervene more effectively than heretofore in its rebellious colony of Southern Rhodesia with a view to: (a) Implementing the action proposed by the Ad Hoe Working Group of Experts in paragraphs 82 to 94 of its report;41 ( b) Liberating the Africans from the reserves in which they are concentrated in conditions of near captivity and bondage; ( c) Repealing the entire so-called "Constitution of Rhodesia" of 1969; 12. Requests the United KinJdOm to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-sixth session the results of the effective measures it is called upon to take in paragraph 11 above; u See E/CN.4/984/ Add.8. Reeolution1 adopted on the reporta of the Third Committee 81 13. Calls upon the Government of Portugal: (a) To observe immediately the provisions of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949;42 (b) To eradicate the practice of xibalo, or forced labour, in its African colonies; (c) To introduce a system in which the products of the African farmers can be freely bought and sold in normal market conditions; 14. Condemns once again the actions of those Gov- ernments which continue to maintain diplomatic, eco- nomic. cultural and other relations with the Govern- ment of South Africa and with the illegal regime in Southern Rhodesia in violation of United Nations resolutions; 15. Calls upon those Governments urgently to con- sider breaking off such relations and, if they have not already done so, to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-sixth session the reasons therefor; 16. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-sixth session on the im- plementation of the present resolution and also to re- port to the Commission on Human Rights at its twenty- seventh session on the measures taken to publicize the report of the Ad Hoe Working Group of Experts. 1930th plenary meeting, 15 December 1970. 2715 (XXV). Employment of qualified women in llellior and other profeaional positions by the secretariats of organizations in the United Nations system The General Assembly, RecalUng Article 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Recalling further the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 1. Expresses the hope that the United Nations, in- cluding its special bodies and all intergovernmental agencies in the United Nations system of organizations, will set an example with regard to the opportunities they afford for the employment of women at senior and other professional levels; 2. Urges the United Nations, including its special bodies and all intergovernmental agencies in the United Nations system of organizations, to take or continue to take appropriate measures to ensure equal oppor- tunities for the employment of qualified women in senior and other professional positions; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to include in his report to the General Assembly on the composition of the Secretariat data on the employment of women at senior and other professional levels by the secretariats of the above-mentioned bodies, including their numbers and the positions they occupy. 1930th plenary meeting, 15 December 1970. 2716 (XXV). Programme of concerted interna- tional action for the advancement of women The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 1777 (XVII) of 7 December a United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75 (1950), Nos. 970-973. 1962 initiating the study of a unified, long-term United Nations programme for the advancement of women, Recalling also the ~laration on the Elimination ol. Discrimination against Women, adopted on 7 Novem- ber 1967, and the Declaration on Social Progress and Development, adopted on 11 December 1969, Noting resolution IX of the International Conference on Human Rights held at Teheran in 1968,'3 on measures to promote women's rights in the modern world, including a unified, long-term United Nations programme for the advancement of women, which established guidelines for such a programme, Noting also that, in accordance with General As- sembly resolution 2571 (XXIV) of 13 December 1969 and with paragraph 79 of Assembly resolution 2626 (XXV) of 24 October 1970, concerning the In- ternational Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade, arran1ements should be made to keep under systematic scrutiny the progress towards achie~J the goals and objectives of the Decade, to identify shortfalls in their achievement and the policies that are not consistent with the attainment of those objectives and to recommend positive mea- sures, including new goals and policies as needed, Expressing the hope that general and complete dis- armament under effective international control will allow for the use of the resources released progressively for purposes of economic and social progress of all peoples, including the elaboration of programmes de- signed to advance the status of women, Believing that a programme of concerted interna- tional action, planned on a long-term basis, will advance the status of women and increase their effective par- ticipation in all sectors, Considering that the success of such a programme will require intensified action on the part of Member States, at the national and regional levels, as well as maximum use of the methods and techniques available through the United Nations system of organizations, Believing that an important step in the further de- velopment of such a programme would be the estab- lishment of concrete objectives and minimum targets, 1. Recommends that the objectives and targets set forth in the annex to the present resolution should be achieved as widely as possible during the Second United Nations Development Decade; 2. Invites States Members of the United Nations or members of specialized agencies and all organs and agencies within the United Nations system to co-operate in achieving these objectives and targets, and hopes that adequate staff and resources will be made avail- able for this purpose; 3. Recommends that concerted efforts should be made to increase the resources available for technical co-operation projects which advance the status of women and that consideration be given to allocating a specific percentage of the available funds for this purpose; 4. Requests the Secretary-General to make avail- able to the Commission on the Status of Women if possible at its twenty-fourth session, information 'on the ex!ent to which ~omen are participating in, and benefiting from, techmcal co-operation projects; 63 Final Act of the International Conference on Human Rights (United Nations publication, Sales No.: E 68 XIV'>) p. 10. . . ·- '

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