6 February 1987

4th plenary meeting

Commemoration of the adoption of the International Covenants on Human Rights

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 41/32 of 3 November 1986 on the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Covenants on Human Rights, in particular paragraph 2, thereof,

Aware of the importance of ensuring the universality of the Covenants by broadening accession to them,

Convinced that the implementation of the Covenants could contribute to the achievement of the goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

1. Decides to give appropriate consideration to the provisions of the International Covenants on Human Rights during its deliberations in 1987, with a view to continuing and strengthening measures aimed at the implementation, promotion and protection of the provisions of those instruments;

2. Invites its subsidiary organs to take appropriate measures to observe the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Covenants;

3. Endorses the appeal made by the General Assembly to all States that have not yet become parties to those instruments to do so, so that the Covenants acquire genuine universality, and to consider acceding to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and making the declaration provided for in article 41 of the Covenant;

4. Also endorses the appeal addressed to Governments to make the Covenants known as widely as possible;

5. Reaffirms its conviction that, to contribute to the realization of the purposes and the implementation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, States should pursue policies directed towards the full implementation of the rights contained in those instruments;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to arrange, within existing resources, for the dissemination of appropriate public information on the Covenants with a view to emphasizing their importance.