A/RES/56/158. Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, 2001

• Resolution Number: A/RES/56/158
• Session: 56th
• Issuer: General Assembly of the United Nation

United Nations A/RES/56/158

General Assembly Distr.: General

15 February 2002

Fifty-sixth session

Agenda item 119 (b)

01 48730

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly

[on the report of the Third Committee (A/56/583/Add.2)]

56/158. National institutions for the promotion and protection of

human rights

The General Assembly

,

Recalling

its resolutions and those of the Commission on Human Rights

concerning national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights,

Welcoming

the rapidly growing interest throughout the world in the creation

and strengthening of independent, pluralistic national institutions for the promotion

and protection of human rights,

Convinced

of the important role that such national institutions play and will

continue to play in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental

freedoms and in developing and enhancing public awareness of those rights and

freedoms,

Recognizing

that the United Nations has played an important role and should

continue to play a more important role in assisting the development of national

institutions,

Recalling

the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the

World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June l993,

1

which reaffirmed the

important and constructive role played by national human rights institutions, in

particular in their advisory capacity to the competent authorities and their role in

remedying human rights violations, in disseminating information on human rights

and in education in human rights,

Recalling also

the Beijing Platform for Action,

2

in which Governments were

urged to create or strengthen independent national institutions for the promotion and

protection of human rights, including the human rights of women,

Noting

the diverse approaches adopted throughout the world for the promotion

and protection of human rights at the national level, emphasizing the universality,

indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights, and emphasizing and

_______________

1 A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap . III.

2 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 II.