The General Assembly,
 
     Recalling its resolution 48/119 of 20 December 1993, and taking note of
Commission on Human Rights resolution 1995/22 of 24 February 1995,
 
     Mindful that the International Covenants on Human Rights constitute the
first all-embracing and legally binding international treaties in the field of
human rights and, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
form the core of the International Bill of Human Rights,
 
     Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Optional
Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
 
     Noting that many States Members of the United Nations have yet to become
parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights,
 
     Recalling the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and
reaffirming that all human rights and fundamental freedoms are indivisible and
interrelated and that the promotion and protection of one category of rights
should never exempt or excuse States from the promotion and protection of the
other rights,
 
     Recognizing the important role of the Human Rights Committee and the
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the implementation of the
International Covenants on Human Rights and the Optional Protocols to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
 
     Welcoming the submission to the General Assembly of the annual report of
the Human Rights Committee and the report of the Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights,
 
     Considering that the effective functioning of treaty bodies established
in accordance with the relevant provisions of international instruments on
human rights plays a fundamental role and hence represents an important
continuing concern of the United Nations,
 
     Noting with concern the critical situation with regard to overdue reports
from States parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights,
 
     1.   Reaffirms the importance of the International Covenants on Human
Rights as major parts of international efforts to promote universal respect
for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
 
     2.   Appeals strongly to all States that have not yet done so to become
parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights as well as to accede to
the Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights and to make the declaration provided for in article 41 of the Covenant;
 
     3.   Invites the Secretary-General to intensify systematic efforts to
encourage States to become parties to the International Covenants on Human
Rights and, through the programme of advisory services in the field of human
rights, to assist such States, at their request, in ratifying or acceding to
the Covenants and to the Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights;
 
     4.   Emphasizes the importance of the strictest compliance by States
parties with their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and, where applicable, the Optional Protocols to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
 
     5.   Stresses the importance of avoiding the erosion of human rights by
derogation, and underlines the necessity of strict observance of the agreed
conditions and procedures for derogation under article 4 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, bearing in mind the need for States
parties to provide the fullest possible information during states of emergency
so that the justification for the appropriateness of measures taken in these
circumstances can be assessed;
 
     6.   Stresses the importance of fully taking into account the gender
perspective in the implementation of the International Covenants on Human
Rights at the national level, including the national reports, and in the work
of the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights;
 
     7.   Encourages the States parties to consider limiting the extent of any
reservations they lodge to the International Covenants on Human Rights, to
formulate any reservations as precisely and narrowly as possible and to ensure
that no reservation is incompatible with the object and purpose of the
relevant treaty or otherwise contrary to international law;
 
     8.   Also encourages the States parties to review regularly any
reservations made in respect of the provisions of the International Covenants
on Human Rights with a view to withdrawing them;
 
     9.   Takes note with appreciation of the annual reports of the Human
Rights Committee submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth and
fiftieth sessions;
 
     10.  Also takes note with appreciation of the report of the Committee on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on its tenth and eleventh sessions;
 
     11.  Expresses its satisfaction with the serious and constructive manner
in which both Committees are carrying out their functions;
 
     12.  Invites the Committees to identify specific needs of States parties
that might be addressed through the advisory services and technical assistance
programme of the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat, with the possible
participation of members of the Committees where appropriate;
 
     13.  Welcomes the continuing efforts of the Human Rights Committee and
the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to strive for uniform
standards in the implementation of the provisions of the International
Covenants on Human Rights, and appeals to other bodies dealing with similar
human rights questions to respect these uniform standards, as expressed in the
general comments of the Human Rights Committee;
 
     14.  Urges States parties to fulfil in good time such reporting
obligations under the International Covenants on Human Rights as may be
requested and to make use of gender- disaggregated data in their reports;
 
     15.  Also urges States parties to take duly into account, in implementing
the provisions of the International Covenants on Human Rights, the
observations made at the conclusion of the consideration of their reports by
the Human Rights Committee and by the Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights;
 
     16.  Invites States parties to give particular attention to the
dissemination at the national level of the reports they have submitted to the
Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, the summary records relating to the examination of those reports by
the Committees and the observations made by the Committees at the conclusion
of the consideration of the reports;
 
     17.  Encourages once again all Governments to publish the texts of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Optional
Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in as
many local languages as possible and to distribute them and make them known as
widely as possible in their territories;
 
     18.  Requests the Secretary-General to consider ways and means of
assisting States parties to the International Covenants on Human Rights in the
preparation of their reports, including seminars or workshops at the national
level for the purpose of training government officials engaged in the
preparation of such reports, and the exploration of other possibilities
available under the regular programme of advisory services in the field of
human rights;
 
     19.  Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Centre for
Human Rights effectively assists the Human Rights Committee and the Committee
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the implementation of their
respective mandates;
 
     20.  Once again urges the Secretary-General, taking into account the
suggestions of the Human Rights Committee, to take determined steps to give
more publicity to the work of that Committee and, similarly, to the work of
the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
 
     21.  Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at
its fifty-second session, under the item entitled "Human rights questions", a
report on the status of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and
the Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, including all reservations and declarations.