A/RES/55/66 GA

United Nations A/RES/55/66 General Assembly Distr.: General 31 January 2001 Fifty-fifth session Agenda item 107 00 56335 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [on the report of the Third Committee (A/55/595 and Corr.1 and 2)] 55/66. Working towards the elimination of crimes against women committed in the name of honour The General Assembly, Reaffirming the obligation of all States to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as stated in the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming also their obligations under human rights instruments, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,1 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,2 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women3 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,4 Bearing in mind the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women,5 as well as the Beijing Declaration6 and Platform for Action7 adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, and recalling the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”,8 Bearing in mind also that crimes against women committed in the name of honour are a human rights issue and that States have an obligation to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish the perpetrators of such crimes and to provide protection to the victims, and that the failure to do so constitutes a human rights violation, Aware that inadequate understanding of the root causes of all violence against women, including crimes committed in the name of honour, and inadequate data on such violence hinder informed policy analysis, at both the domestic and the international levels, and efforts to eliminate such violence, 1 Resolution 217 A (III). 2 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. 3 Resolution 34/180, annex. 4 Resolution 44/25, annex. 5 See resolution 48/104. 6 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4–15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I. 7 Ibid., annex II. 8 Resolution S-23/3, annex. A/RES/55/66 2 Noting general recommendation 19 concerning violence against women adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women,9 Noting also relevant paragraphs in recent reports of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on violence against women, its causes and consequences,10 the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions11 and the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the independence of judges and lawyers,12 and of the Special Rapporteur of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights on traditional practices affecting the health of women and the girl child,13 Bearing in mind relevant paragraphs in Commission on Human Rights resolutions 2000/31 and 2000/45, of 20 April 2000,14 as well as in resolution 2000/10 of 17 August 2000 of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights,15 Emphasizing that the elimination of crimes against women committed in the name of honour requires greater efforts and commitment from Governments and the international community, inter alia, through international cooperation efforts, and civil society, including non-governmental and community organizations, and that fundamental changes in societal attitude are required, and underlining the importance of the empowerment of women as a tool, 1. Expresses its concern at the fact that women continue to be victims of various forms of violence, including those that are identified in the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”,8 and at the continuing occurrence in all regions of the world of such violence, including crimes against women committed in the name of honour, which take many different forms, and also expresses its concern at the fact that some perpetrators assume that they have some justification for committing such crimes; 2. Welcomes the activities of States aimed at the elimination of crimes against women committed in the name of honour, including the adoption of amendments to relevant national laws relating to such crimes, the effective implementation of such laws and national campaigns, all of which have already led to a decrease in the incidence of these crimes in some countries; 3. Also welcomes the efforts, such as concrete projects, undertaken by United Nations bodies, programmes and organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, to address the issue of crimes against women committed in the name of honour, and encourages them to coordinate their efforts, and further welcomes the work carried out by civil society, including non- 9 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 38 (A/47/38), sect. I. 10 E/CN.4/2000/68 and Add.1–5. 11 See A/55/288. 12 E/CN.4/2000/61 and Corr.1. 13 E/CN.4/Sub.2/1998/11, E/CN.4/Sub.2/1999/14 and E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/17. 14 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2000, Supplement No. 3 and corrigendum (E/2000/23 and Corr.1), chap. II, sect. A. 15 See E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/L.11/Add.1, chap. II, sect. A. A/RES/55/66 3 governmental organizations, such as women’s organizations, grass-roots movements and individuals, in raising awareness of such crimes and their harmful effects; 4. Calls upon all States: (a) To implement their relevant obligations under international human rights law and to implement specific international commitments, inter alia, under the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly; (b) To intensify efforts to prevent and eliminate crimes against women committed in the name of honour, which take many different forms, by using legislative, educational, social and other measures, including the dissemination of information, and to involve, among others, public opinion leaders, educators, religious leaders, chiefs, traditional leaders and the media in awareness-raising campaigns; (c) To encourage, support and implement measures and programmes aimed at increasing the knowledge and the understanding of the causes and consequences of crimes against women committed in the name of honour, among those responsible for enforcing the law and implementing policies, such as police personnel, judicial workers and health personnel; (d) To establish, strengthen or facilitate, where possible, support services to respond to the needs of actual and potential victims by, inter alia, providing for them the appropriate protection, safe shelter, counselling, legal aid, rehabilitation and reintegration into society; (e) To create, strengthen or facilitate institutional mechanisms so that victims and others can report such crimes in a safe and confidential environment, and encourages States to gather and disseminate statistical information on the occurrence of such crimes; 5. Invites the international community, including United Nations bodies, programmes and organizations, inter alia, through the technical assistance and advisory services programmes of the United Nations Centre for International Crime Prevention, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, to support the efforts of all countries, at their request, aimed at strengthening institutional capacity for preventing crimes against women committed in the name of honour and at addressing their root causes; 6. Encourages the relevant human rights treaty bodies to continue to address this issue, where appropriate; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session a report on the subject of the present resolution, including on initiatives taken by States to work towards the elimination of the crimes in question. 81st plenary meeting 4 December 2000

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