A/RES/66/254 GA

United Nations A/RES/66/254 General Assembly Distr.: General 15 May 2012 Sixty-sixth session Agenda item 124 11-47406 *1147406* Please rec cle ♲ Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 February 2012 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/66/L.37 and Add.1)] 66/254. Intergovernmental process of the General Assembly on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system The General Assembly, Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1 and relevant international human rights instruments, Recalling the obligations of States parties under international human rights treaties, including those relevant to the functioning of the human rights treaty bodies, Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 1985/17 of 28 May 1985, Reaffirming that the full and effective implementation of international human rights instruments by States parties is of major importance to the efforts of the United Nations to promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and that the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system is indispensable for the full and effective implementation of such instruments, Recognizing the important, valuable and unique role and contribution of each of the human rights treaty bodies to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through examination of the progress made by States parties to respective human rights treaties in fulfilling their relevant obligations and by providing recommendations to such States on their implementation, Reaffirming the importance of the independence of the human rights treaty bodies, _______________ 1 Resolution 217 A (III). A/RES/66/254 2 Recognizing the importance of providing, under the existing procedures of the General Assembly, adequate funding to the human rights treaty body system from the regular budget of the United Nations, Recognizing also the importance of continued efforts to improve the efficiency of the working methods of the human rights treaty body system, Noting the reports of the Secretary-General on measures to improve further the effectiveness, harmonization and reform of the human rights treaty body system,2 Noting with appreciation the initiative and efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in the form of a multi-stakeholder consultation approach for reflecting on how to streamline and strengthen the treaty body system, Noting that the multi-stakeholder approach consisted of a number of meetings involving representatives of Member States, treaty bodies, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and academia, including events hosted by a number of Member States,3 Noting also that the High Commissioner for Human Rights has announced upcoming consultations with Member States in New York in April 2012 within the framework of her efforts and in line with her intention to prepare a report compiling relevant proposals made during the reflection process, 1. Requests the President of the General Assembly to launch, within the framework of the Assembly, an open-ended intergovernmental process, no earlier than in April 2012, to conduct open, transparent and inclusive negotiations on how to strengthen and enhance the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system; 2. Also requests the President of the General Assembly, in this regard, to appoint two co-facilitators, in accordance with established procedures and practices, to assist him in this process; 3. Decides that, in its deliberations, the aforementioned open-ended intergovernmental process shall take into consideration the relevant proposals on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system, including those contained in the reports of the Secretary-General2 and the compilation report to be prepared by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and in this regard invites the High Commissioner to present the compilation report to the General Assembly no later than June 2012; 4. Reaffirms that the deliberations in the framework of the open-ended intergovernmental process shall be open to all States Members of the United Nations, observer States, relevant intergovernmental organizations and relevant United Nations bodies; 5. Requests the President of the General Assembly to establish appropriate channels of communication with the President of the Human Rights Council regarding the open-ended intergovernmental process on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system referred to in paragraph 1 above; _______________ 2 A/66/344 and A/HRC/19/28. 3 Dublin (November 2009 and 2011), Marrakech, Morocco (June 2010), Poznan, Poland (September 2010), Seoul (April 2011), Sion, Switzerland (May 2011), Pretoria (June 2011), Lucerne, Switzerland (October 2011), Geneva (October and November 2011 and February 2012). A/RES/66/254 3 6. Also requests the President of the General Assembly to work out separate informal arrangements, after consultation with Member States, that would allow the open-ended intergovernmental process to benefit from the inputs and expertise of the human rights treaty bodies, national human rights institutions and relevant non-governmental organizations, bearing in mind the intergovernmental nature of the process referred to in paragraph 1 above; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the open-ended intergovernmental process with all necessary support from within existing resources for the duration of its mandate; 8. Requests the President of the General Assembly to report by the end of its sixty-sixth session on the deliberations and recommendations of the open-ended intergovernmental process for further consideration by the Assembly, including consideration of a possible extension of the process. 98th plenary meeting 23 February 2012

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