The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its resolution 48/121 of 20 December 1993, in which it
endorsed the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World
Conference on Human Rights, held in June 1993, as well as its resolution
49/208 of 23 December 1994 on the comprehensive implementation of and
follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,
 
      Recalling also Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/95 of 9 March
1994, in which the Commission decided to review annually the progress towards
the full implementation of the recommendations contained in the Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action,
 
      Reaffirming the view of the World Conference on Human Rights that the
promotion and protection of human rights is a matter of priority for the
international community,
 
      Considering that the promotion of universal respect for and observance
of human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the basic purposes of the
Charter of the United Nations and one of the main priorities of the
Organization,
 
      Recognizing the urgency of eliminating denials and violations of human
rights, as expressed in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,
 
      Convinced that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action has to be
translated into effective action by States, the competent United Nations
organs and organizations and other organizations concerned, including
non-governmental organizations,
 
      Recognizing the importance of dialogue and cooperation between
Governments and non-governmental organizations in the field of human rights,
 
      Noting that the activities envisaged in the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action add further to the workload and the responsibilities of
the United Nations human rights system and that so far only initial steps have
been taken towards bridging the gap between resources and the mandated
outputs, 
 
      Recalling the request of the Conference to the Secretary-General and the
General Assembly to take immediate steps to increase substantially the
resources for the human rights programme from within the existing and future
regular budgets of the United Nations,
 
      Welcoming the fact that the call of the Conference for a United Nations
system-wide approach to human rights issues has been reflected in the
recommendations of major international conferences organized by the United
Nations in the economic, social and related fields, in particular in the
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development, held at Cairo from 5 to 13 September 1994, the Copenhagen
Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the World
Summit for Social Development, held at Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995 and
the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action of the Fourth World
Conference on Women, held at Beijing from 4 to 15 September 1995,
 
      Noting the ongoing efforts to ensure a coordinated follow-up to major
international conferences in the economic, social and related fields,
 
      Recognizing that the interdependence of democracy, development and
respect for human rights, as stated in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action, requires a comprehensive and integrated approach to the promotion and
protection of human rights,
 
      Recalling that in its resolution 48/141 the General Assembly decided to
create the post of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as the
United Nations official with principal responsibility for United Nations human
rights activities, including coordination of the human rights promotion and
protection activities throughout the United Nations system,
 
      Noting that at the first regular session of 1994 of the Administrative
Committee on Coordination, in April 1994, the executive heads of all United
Nations agencies discussed the implications of the results of the Conference
for their respective programmes and committed themselves to supporting the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the coordination of the
United Nations organs, bodies and the specialized agencies whose activities
deal with human rights, as set out in resolution 48/141,
 
      Noting also that the High Commissioner has established a permanent
dialogue with the United Nations programmes and agencies whose activities deal
with human rights in order to maintain systematic exchanges of information,
experience and expertise,
 
      Having considered the report of the High Commissioner,
 
      1.    Takes note with appreciation of the report of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights;
 
      2.    Endorses the reaffirmation in the Vienna Declaration and Programme
of Action of the importance of the promotion of universal respect for, and
observance and protection of, all human rights and fundamental freedoms in
accordance with the Charter of the United Nations;
 
      3.    Reaffirms the views of the World Conference on Human Rights on the
urgency of eliminating denials and violations of human rights;
 
      4.    Recognizes that the international community should devise ways and
means to remove current obstacles and meet the challenges to the full
realization of all human rights and to prevent the continuation of human
rights violations resulting therefrom throughout the world;
 
      5.    Calls upon all States to take further action with a view to the
full realization of all human rights in the light of the recommendations of
the Conference;
 
      6.    Urges all States to continue to give widespread publicity to the
Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action in order to promote increased
awareness of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
 
      7.    Reiterates the request of the Conference that immediate steps be
taken to increase substantially the resources for the human rights programme
from within existing and future regular budgets of the United Nations;
 
      8.    Welcomes with appreciation the work of the High Commissioner
accomplished thus far, and expresses its commitment to continue to cooperate
with and support the High Commissioner in the discharge of his mandate, as set
out in resolution 48/141;
 
      9.    Requests the High Commissioner, the General Assembly, the
Commission on Human Rights and other organs and bodies of the United Nations
system related to human rights to take further action with a view to the full
implementation of all the recommendations of the Conference;
 
      10.   Also requests the High Commissioner to continue to coordinate the
human rights promotion and protection activities throughout the United Nations
system, as set out in resolution 48/141, including through a permanent
dialogue with the United Nations agencies and programmes whose activities deal
with human rights;
 
      11.   Invites the Administrative Committee on Coordination to continue
to discuss the implications of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
for the United Nations system;
 
      12.   Requests the High Commissioner to continue to report on the
measures taken and the progress achieved in the comprehensive implementation
of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action;
 
      13.   Decides to consider this question at its fifty-first session under
the sub- item "Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action".