The General Assembly,

Recalling article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the right of everyone to life, article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and articles 6 and 37 (a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,

Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1997/..., 1998/8 and 1999/... in which the Commission expressed its conviction that abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and to the progressive development of human rights,

Considering that the resolutions on the death penalty adopted by the Commission on Human Rights in 1997, 1998 and 1999 have always obtained an increasing number of cosponsor and favourable votes, while the votes against have decreased;

[Recalling the report of the Secretary-General submitted to the 1999 Commission on Human Rights containing information on changes in law and practice concerning the death penalty worldwide (E/CN.4/1999/52 and Corr.1 and Add.1) and further positive developments reflected in that report;]

Welcoming the fact that, compared to five years ago, there has been a further drop in the number of the UN members States that apply the death penalty with respect to the large majority of those that have either totally abolished it, abolished it only for ordinary crimes, adopted a legal moratorium on executions, committed themselves to abolishing it or are the facto abolitionists.

1. Urges all States that still maintain the death penalty:

To comply fully with their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, notably not to impose the death penalty for any but the most serious crimes as non-violent financial crimes or non-violent religious practice or expression of conscience, and not to impose it on pregnant women [and persons suffering from any form of mental disorder,] or for crimes committed by persons below 18 years of age;

Not to enter any new reservations under article 6 of the Covenant which may be contrary to the object and the purpose of the Covenant and to withdraw any such existing reservations, given that article 6 of the Covenant enshrines the minimum rules for the protection of the right to life and the generally accepted standards in this area;

To observe the Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, set out in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1984/50, and to comply fully with their international obligations, in particular with those under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and not to execute any person as long as any related legal procedure, at international or at national level, is pending;

Progressively to restrict the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed, and to make available to the public information with regard to the imposition of the death penalty.

2. Calls upon all States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that have not yet done so to consider acceding to or ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.

3. Calls upon all States that still maintain the death penalty to establish a moratorium on executions, with a view to completely abolishing the death penalty.

4. Requests States that have received a request for extradition on a capital charge to reserve explicitly the right to refuse extradition in the absence of effective assurances from relevant authorities of the requesting State that capital punishment will not be carried out.

5. Decides to continue consideration of the matter at its fifty-fifth session under the same agenda item.