Un General Assembly Third Committee Resolutions

UN General Assembly Third Committee Resolutions in 2013

United States views on international law [1] in relation to UN General Assembly Third Committee Resolutions: On November 19, 2013, the UN General Assembly's Third Committee adopted four resolutions relating to ongoing, serious human rights abuses in Iran, North Korea, and Burma. Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, delivered a statement on the resolutions, excerpted below and available at (link resource) usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/217757.htm.

Some Aspects of UN General Assembly Third Committee Resolutions

On Iran, the Third Committee resolution expressed deep concern regarding ongoing human rights violations, including torture, restricting the fundamental freedoms of assembly, opinion and expression, and the systematic targeting of human rights defenders by the Government of Iran. The resolution called on the government to fully abide by its human rights obligations, eliminate discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities, address pervasive gender inequality, and respond positively to the UN Special Rapporteur's request to visit Iran to carry out his mandate. On North Korea, the General Assembly rightly expressed serious concern about the deteriorating human rights situation, including torture, inhumane conditions of detention, public executions, and “all pervasive and severe” restrictions on the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, expression and peaceful assembly. The resolution urged the government to cooperate both with the Secretary-General's Special Rapporteur for Human Rights as well as with the Human Rights Council's newly established commission of inquiry.

Developments

In contrast to the other … resolutions, this year's resolution on Burma was able to welcome the government's efforts to build democratic institutions. Nonetheless, we share the General Assembly's concern that arbitrary arrests and detentions of Burmese human rights defenders continue. Today's resolution urges the government to address these issues, as well as the violence, displacement and dire economic conditions affecting ethnic and religious minorities, including the Rohingya in the Rakhine State and Muslim minorities throughout the country. Through the adoption of these resolutions, the international community has once again demonstrated its support for the fundamental freedoms and dignity of individuals around the world, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Resources

Notes

1. Un General Assembly Third Committee Resolutions in the Digest of United States Practice in International Law