Strengthening of the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat, G.A. res. 47/127, 47 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 201, U.N. Doc. A/47/49 (1992).


The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 44/135 of 15 December 1989, 45/180 of 21 December 1990 and 46/118 and 46/111 of 17 December 1991,

Bearing in mind Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1989/46 of 6 March 1989, 1990/25 of 27 February 1990,1991/23 of 5 March 1991 and 1992/53 of 3 March 1992, as well as Economic and Social Council resolutions 1990/47 of 25 May 1990 and 1991/36 of 31 May 1991,

Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1989/54 of 7 March 1989 and 1991/22 of 5 March 1991 on the coordinating role of the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat within the United Nations system,

Considering that the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the basic purposes of the United Nations enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and an issue of the utmost importance for the Organization,

Bearing in mind that the Secretary-General, in his report on the work of the Organization for 1992, stated that the "Charter of the United Nations places the promotion of human rights as one of our priority objectives along with promoting development and preserving international peace and security", an approach which he also applied in his proposals for the programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995,

Bearing in mind Commission on Human Rights resolution 1992/80 of 5 March 1992 on advisory services and the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, and recognizing the growing importance of advisory services for the promotion and strengthening of human rights, as demonstrated by the increasing number of requests from Governments for support and technical assistance in the field of human rights,

Recognizing the important role of the Centre for Human Rights in the promotion, protection and implementation of human rights and the need to provide sufficient human resources to the Centre, particularly in view of the fact that its workload has dramatically increased, while resources have failed to keep pace with the expansion of its responsibilities,

Noting that the difficult financial situation of the Centre during the biennium 1992-1993 has created considerable obstacles in the implementation of the various procedures and mechanisms, negatively influenced the servicing by the Secretariat of the bodies concerned with human rights and impaired the quality and precision of reporting,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General and his previous reports, and noting that additional posts for the Centre have been authorized by the Secretary-General for an initial period of six months and that some of those posts only replace temporary posts that had been abolished,

Noting that, in spite of recent developments, the disparity between mandates themselves and resources available to carry them out has grown further, as a result of additional mandates given to the Centre by intergovernmental and expert bodies, after the preparation of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1992-1993 and the adoption of that budget,

Noting also that the Assembly, in section XIX of its resolution 46/185 C of 20 December 1991, requested the Secretary-General, with regard to the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions on the level of general temporary assistance for section 28 of the programme budget, to ensure that adequate resources were available during the biennium 1992-1993,

Noting further that the Committee for Programme and Coordination, at its thirty-second session, held from 11 to 22 May 1992, reaffirmed its previous recommendations on the strengthening of the programmes and activities of the Centre, in the context of the proposed revisions to the medium-term plan for the period 1992-1997,

Noting that the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, in revising estimates for the programme budget for the biennium 1992-1993, took note of the redeployment of five posts to the Centre, which will be used to respond to the mandate established by the Commission on Human Rights at its first special session, held on 13 and 14 August 1992,

1. Supports the efforts of the Secretary-General to enhance the role and importance of the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat as the coordinating unit within the United Nations system of bodies dealing with the promotion and the protection of human rights;

2. Takes note of the statement by the Secretary-General, as reflected in his report concerning the implications of organizational changes in the Secretariat, that he would propose using the remaining vacant posts now available in the Secretariat "in the light of new initiatives and emerging mandates and priorities";

3. Emphasizes that, in the review of the programme budget for the biennium 1992-1993, adequate staffing, temporary assistance and other resources should be allocated to the Centre so as to enable it to respond to its increasing workload and its needs in order that it may carry out all the functions assigned to it, including those relating to the preparations for the World Conference on Human Rights and the Conference itself;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that sufficient resources are accorded to the Centre to enable it to carry out, in full and on time, all the mandates, including the additional ones, resulting from the decisions of intergovernmental and expert bodies;

5. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit an interim report to the Commission on Human Rights at its forty-ninth session and a final report to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session on the developments relating to the activities of the Centre and on the measures taken to implement the present resolution.

92nd plenary meeting
18 December 1992