A/RES/31/84 GA

VI. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the Third Committee 101 rights and principles laid down in the Declaration and of the present resolution. 97 th plenary meeting 13 December 1976 31/83. Report on the world social situation The General Assembly, Recalling the Declaration on Social Progress and De- velopment proclaimed in General Assembly resolu- tion 2542 (XXIV) of 11 December 1969, Noting Economic and Social Council resolution 1927 (LVIII) of 6 May 1975 on the world social situation and recalling the mid-term review and appraisal of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade,31 Having considered the 1974 Report on the World Social Situation,82 Desirous of improving the future reports on the world social situation as to their cross-sectoral analysis of social policies and programmes, which analysis should take into account the goals and objectives of the new international economic order, l. Takes note of the 1974 Report on the World Social Situation as well as the various points of view expressed regarding its substance and format during the thirty-first session of the General Assembly; 2. Requests the Secretary-General to take into con- sideration the following guidelines while preparing fu- ture reports on the world social situation: (a) A more integrated and concise text should be presented, with emphasis on the analysis of the data obtained; (b) All countries and territories should be covered, including those under colonial and alien domination and foreign occupation; ( c) A wide range of sources of information should be used, mainly from the specialized agencies, the re- gional commissions and the Governments concerned; ( d) The mid-term review and appraisal of the In- ternational Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade should be used as a guideline in assessing and analysing the data obtained; ( e) The goals and objectives of the new interna- tional economic order should be utilized as one of the guidelines for the preparation of future reports on the world social situation; 3. Requests Governments, appropriate United Nations bodies and specialized agencies concerned to continue to co-operate with the Secretary-General in the preparation of future reports on the world social situation. 97th plenary meeting 13 December 1976 31/84. World social situation The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 2542 (XXIV) of 11 De- cember 1969, containing the Declaration on Social 31 Resolution 3517 (XXX). 32 United Nations publication, Sales No. E.75.IV.6. Progress and Development, and 2771 (XXVI) of 22 November 1971 on the world social situation, Recalling in this connexion its resolution 2626 (XXV) of 24 October 1970, containing the International De- velopment Strategy for the Second United Nations De- velopment Decade, paragraph 7 of which states that the ultimate objective of development must be to bring about sustained improvement in the well-being of the individual and bestow benefits on all, Recalling its resolutions 3201 (S-VI) and 3202 (S-VI) of 1 May 1974 containing the Declaration and the Pro- gramme of Action on the Establishment of a New In- ternational Economic Order, 3281 (XXIX) of 12 De- cember 1974 containing the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States and 3362 (S-VII) of 16 Septem- ber 1975 on development and international economic co-operation, Further recalling Economic and Social Council reso- lution l 927 (L VIII) of 6 May 1975, Recognizing that the persistence of colonialism, ag- gression and threats against national sovereignty, na- tional unity and territorial integrity, foreign occupation, all forms of discrimination, apartheid and all forms of domination continues to exercise a negative impact on the world social situation, Considering that the world social situation is charac- terized by the wide and growing disparity in conditions of living and income levels between people in the de- veloped and developing countries and that it is in- cumbent on the international community to redress this disparity, Aware of the decisive influence of existing economic relations on the internal social situation, particularly of the developing countries, and that social distress and poverty can be removed only if the pre-conditions are created for comprehensive and equitable economic growth and social development, Recalling that during the period from 1974 to 1976 the General Assembly, at its sixth and seventh special sessions, and a number of international conferences, including the World Population Conference, the World Food Conference, the World Conference of the Inter- national Women's Year, Habitat: United Nations Con- ference on Human Settlements, the Tripartite World <::onference on Employment, Income Distribution, So- cial Progress and the International Division of Labour, the Second General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the fourth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and De- velopment and the Conference on Economic Co-opera- tion among Developing Countries, addressed themselves to several issues related to the world economic and social situation, Considering that the desired pace of social progress in the developing countries is hindered because of the magnitude of their difficulties arising from the unjust world economic order which has existed hitherto, Re-emphasizing that the primary responsibility for the development of developing countries rests upon themsel~es, but that, however great their own efforts~ these will not enable them to achieve the desired de- velopment goals as expeditiously as they must unless equitable economic and commercial relations between developed and developing countries are established and increased financial and technological resources are ~vail- able to the developing countries, 102 General Assembly-Thirty-first Session Noting that social disparities are not peculiar to the developing countries and are a reflection of the injus- tices and inefficiency of the present world economic system, Emphasizing the interdependence of economic and social development in promoting comprehensive growth with justice and the importance of harmonizing this process of development with the evolution of each country's values and structures, Having considered the 1974 Report on the World Social Situation,88 1. Reaffirms the right and responsibility of each State and people to determine freely its own objectives of social development, to set its own priorities and to decide in conformity with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations the means and methods of their achievement without any external interference; 2. Notes with satisfaction the policies and pro- grammes adopted by many developing countries, within their over-all development plans, despite the grave fi- nancial and other external constraints, to promote com- prehensive social development in various fields, es- pecially to improve the conditions in the particularly disadvantaged sectors of their societies; 3. Recognizes the need for continued efforts at the national level towards the promotion of social progress and development aiming at the fulfilment of basic needs of all segments of the population through measures leading to: (a) More equitable redistribution of income and_ wealth; ( b) The elimination of hunger and malnutrition; ( c) A reduction of unemployment and underem- ployment; (d) The improvement of the distribution of health, housing, education and other social services; 4. Welcomes the active participation and growing involvement of the people of all sectors of society, in- cluding the youth and women, in the programmes of socio-economic development in developing countries; 5. Reaffirms the urgency of observing the principles and implementing the decisions regarding the establish- ment of the new international economic order, as well as the targets and policy measures of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade, as a necessary pre-condition for the success of measures to eradicate poverty and to en- sure real social progress in developing countries; 6. Reaffirms also that the elimination of imperial- ism, colonialism, aggression, foreign occupation, all forms of discrimination and apartheid and threats against national sovereignty and territorial integrity is a pre-condition for social and economic progress; 7. Affirms that the need to eliminate social dis- parities in developing countries is an important reason for the developed countries to increase their commit- ment to achieving the goals of development co-operation and of the new international economic order; 8. Deeply deplores the lack of response from some of the developed countries to measures designed to establish the new international economic order; 9. Urges the organizations of the United Nations system to take into consideration Economic and Social 33 Ibid. Council decision 162 (LXI) of 3 August 1976, bearing in mind the close interrelationship between international economic relations and the world social situation; 10. Urges those developed countries that have not done so to respond in a spirit of co-operation and inter- dependence to ensure sustained socio-economic devel- opment in the developing countries; 11. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to issue the report on the world social situation every four years, taking into consideration the provisions of the present resolution, and to give an account of the meas- ures taken by Governments to implement these pro- visions. 97th plenary meeting 13 December 1976 31/85. Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment The General Assembly, Recalling the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punish- ment, unanimously adopted in its resolution 3452 (XXX) of 9 December 1975, Recalling also its resolution 3453 (XXX) of 9 De- cember 1975, in which it requested the competent bodies to conduct further work on the elaboration of: (a) A body of principles for the protection of all persons under any form of detention or imprisonment, ( b) A draft code of conduct for law enforcement officials, ( c) Principles of medical ethics relevant to the pro- tection of persons subjected to any form of detention or imprisonment against torture and other cruel, in- human or degrading treatment or punishment, Noting Economic and Social Council resolution 1993 (LX) of 12 May 1976 and resolution 10 (XXXII) adopted by the Commission on Human Rights on 5 March 1976,34 Welcoming the work of the Committee on Crime Prevention and Control at its fourth session, in par- ticular with respect to a draft code of conduct for law enforcement officials as well as the range of application and the implementation of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners,811 Noting further the decision of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Mi- norities at its twenty-ninth session to appoint a Rap- porteur to prepare the first draft of a body of principles for the protection of all persons under any form of detention or imprisonment, and resolution 3 A (XXIX) of 31 August 1976 in which the Sub-Commission rec- ommended the appointment of a working group to analyse the material received in connexion with its annual review of developments relating to the question of the human rights of persons subjected to any form of detention or imprisonment,36 34 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council Sixtieth Session, Supplement No. 3 (E/5768), chap. xx: sect. A. 35 First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders: report by the Secretariat (United Nations publication, Sales No. 1956.IV.4), annex I.A. 3 G See E/CN.4/1218, chap. XVII.

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