Resolutions and Decisions on Myanmar at regular sessions of the Human Rights Council

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Description: "UN expert urges coordinated action by Indonesia and other nations to address Myanmar crisis JAKARTA (21 June 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews wrapped up a nine-day mission to Indonesia today by calling for coordinated action by Indonesia and others to address the deepening crisis in Myanmar. He expressed his appreciation to Indonesia for its support to the people of Myanmar and urged the country to play a bigger role in resolving the crisis both as current Chair of ASEAN and as a leader in Southeast Asia and on the world stage. “I came to Indonesia because the human rights situation in Myanmar is dire and getting worse, and because I believe that Indonesia is positioned to play a critical role in the resolution of this crisis,” Andrews said in a statement released today at a news conference in Jakarta. “I’m worried that the deepening crisis in Myanmar has become invisible to much of the world, and that some governments are beginning to think that the junta’s tyranny is inevitable. This narrative is exactly what the junta wants and needs to prevail,” he said. In meetings with Indonesian and ASEAN officials during his visit, Andrews noted that the world was looking to Indonesia and ASEAN for leadership in resolving the Myanmar crisis. “There are two different time zones when it comes to ASEAN and the crisis in Myanmar: one being the reality of the people of Myanmar who face daily attacks by junta forces and rapidly deteriorating conditions. The other is the world of ASEAN officials who caution that progress could take years, even decades,” the Special Rapporteur said. “The people of Myanmar do not have decades nor years – some do not even have days – for the junta to be held accountable,” he said. Andrews called on Indonesia to show continued leadership on Myanmar not only for the remainder of its ASEAN chairmanship, but beyond. “It is time to consider alternative options to break the deadly stalemate. I urge ASEAN to take measures to hold the junta accountable for its grave human rights violations and blatant disregard for implementation of the Five-Point Consensus. Even if ASEAN remains deadlocked, Indonesia should work with allies to isolate the junta and reduce its capacity to attack the people of Myanmar,” the expert said. During his mission, Andrews traveled to Aceh Province and visited a Rohingya refugee camp in Pidie District, where he heard directly from Rohingya who undertook dangerous boat journeys across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea and disembarked in Indonesia. “What was overwhelmingly apparent is the extreme vulnerability of refugees with whom I met. Fleeing atrocity crimes in Myanmar, and facing increasingly dire conditions in Bangladesh, they carry with them deep trauma. They want and deserve a safer, more peaceful life.” “The Rohingya refugees recounted their harrowing experiences at sea. A woman told me that over 20 persons died on her boat and that they had to throw the bodies overboard. Another woman cried as she recalled the lack of food and water, and how she had to give her child seawater to drink,” Andrews recalled. The expert said he was inspired by the widespread empathy for Rohingya among Acehnese fishermen, local civil society groups providing aid and services, and UN staff working with the refugees. Andrews cautioned, however, that there remain many challenges for Rohingya refugees in Indonesia and the region. “Responsibility for the rights of the Rohingya, including their right to redress as survivors of atrocity crimes, rests primarily with Myanmar. But it also extends to the countries where they seek refuge and to the broader international community,” said Andrews. He emphasised that Indonesia is well-positioned to play a global leadership role to defend and support the Rohingya. ENDSMr. Thomas Andrews (United States of America) is the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. A former member of the US Congress from Maine, Andrews is a Robina Senior Human Rights Fellow at Yale Law School and an Associate of Harvard University’s Asia Center. He has worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and parliamentarians, NGOs and political parties in Cambodia, Indonesia, Algeria, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine and Yemen. He has been a consultant for the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma and the Euro-Burma Network and has run advocacy NGOs including Win Without War and United to End Genocide. The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Comprising the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, Special Procedures is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity..."
Source/publisher: UN Human Rights Council via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2023-06-21
Date of entry/update: 2023-06-21
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Description: "Human Rights Council Forty-eighth session 13 September–1 October 2021 Agenda item 4 Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention **I. Introduction and methodology ** In resolution 46/21, the Human Rights Council requested, inter alia, the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide oral and written reports on the overall human rights situation in Myanmar, with a particular focus on accountability regarding alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as rule of law and security sector reform since 1 February 2021. This update covers human rights concerns that my Office has documented since the seizure of power by the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) on 1 February 2021 until mid-July 2021. Developments during this period are presented chronologically to illustrate trends and patterns of human rights violations. Supplementary material elaborating aspects of this report is available via a conference room paper. Findings will be further elaborated in a comprehensive report mandated by resolution 46/21 that is to be presented at the forty-ninth session of the Human Rights Council. OHCHR currently does not have a presence in or access to Myanmar, despite a commitment made by the Government in 2012 to allow OHCHR to open a country office and repeated calls by the Human Rights Council and General Assembly. This has impeded independent in-country monitoring and reporting of the human rights situation, which has become further restricted since the military coup due to Internet restrictions (see Section IV), access and resource constraints, and threats of reprisals against human rights defenders. Despite these challenges, OHCHR has relied on remote monitoring, and use of credible open sources, supplemented where possible by interviews conducted with individuals to obtain first-hand information on specific events. Notwithstanding challenges and risks, OHCHR conducted over 70 interviews with victims and witnesses to human rights violations and has held scores of meetings to collect information from a range of stakeholders. Information and sources have been assessed for credibility, with every effort undertaken to corroborate or verify information to the maximum extent possible. II. Context **5. For decades, the Tatmadaw has committed gross human rights violations with impunity, including alleged **international crimes against ethnic minorities that have been extensively documented for the Human Rights Council. Detailed recommendations have been made on accountability and security sector reform, but have not been implemented.1 Following the February coup, the Tatmadaw has systematically unleashed a new level of violence and repression across the country against the people of Myanmar.2 6. On 1 February 2021, alleging electoral fraud in the November 2020 elections, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing removed the civilian Government, detained Myanmar’s political leadership and declared a state of emergency, vesting all legislative, judicial and executive power in himself. Myanmar’s people met the coup with near universal rejection and launched a broad-based, sustained and peaceful civil disobedience and protest movement across the country. In succeeding months, a human rights crisis ensued, with a steady escalation of attacks against the civilian population as the Tatmadaw sought to suppress opposition and consolidate power. Military authorities abused the legal framework to stifle free expression, enable arbitrary deprivation of liberty, and strip away due process and fair trial rights as they detained thousands, particularly activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. When nationwide peaceful protests began, military authorities initially used less-lethal weapons in an unnecessary and disproportionate manner and conducted neighbourhood raids, creating an atmosphere of terror. This evolved into systematic targeted killings and mass arrests, with torture and ill-treatment causing additional deaths in custody. Progressively, armed resistance emerged, as people formed self-defence groups or started to organize to conduct attacks against the military. Simultaneously, armed conflict in Myanmar’s border areas has continued and resurged. In both contexts, the Tatmadaw has conducted both targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians. Combined with a freefalling economy and worsening COVID-19 pandemic, the situation in Myanmar has become a human rights catastrophe.3..."
Source/publisher: UN Human Rights Council via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2021-09-16
Date of entry/update: 2021-09-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Madam President, Excellencies, It is an honour to present the third annual report of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. In accordance with its mandate from this Council, the Mechanism continues to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011 and to prepare files focusing on the criminal conduct of persons responsible. Tragically, serious crimes and violations of international law continue to be committed in Myanmar. The nation’s long history of impunity continues to impact the lives of its people. Men, women and children from diverse regions and ethnic groups are suffering. Four years since the military’s 2017 clearance operations in Rakhine state, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya remain living in temporary shelter in Bangladesh, their lives on hold hoping to return to homes many of which have been burned and bulldozed. Since the military seized power in February this year, the Mechanism has received reports on the use of unjustified force against peaceful protestors, arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and killings. Thousands of people have fled their homes in various regions, devastating the economy of Myanmar and straining the resources of neighboring states. More than ever, there is a need to end impunity and to break this cycle of violence. To date, the Mechanism has collected over 219,000 information items related to post-coup events. Our initial analysis indicates that these crimes are both widespread and systematic in nature. Preliminary evidence shows that about a thousand civilians have been killed, including in Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw, Bago, Mandalay, Magway and Sagaing. The evidence shows security forces acting in a coordinated manner across different regions, systematically targeting specific categories of persons, such as journalists and medical professionals. Many thousands have been detained without due process of law. Under international law, crimes such as killings and arbitrary detentions committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population are crimes against humanity and thus fall within our mandate. The Mechanism is working to verify and analyse the available evidence concerning these events, and to identify individuals who bear criminal responsibility. Madam President, In the past year, the Mechanism has: established a secure and state-of-the art information management system; engaged in outreach to key stakeholders; recruited personnel with a diverse range of expertise and specializations; and collected and processed over 1.4 million information items. We are mobilizing additional resources to enhance our capacities, especially those related to the analysis of open-source and financial information. We are pursuing innovative strategies for collecting evidence, which we consider essential given that the authorities in power in Myanmar have denied us access to crime scenes and potential witnesses. We are committed to ensuring that the Mechanism always upholds the core principles of independence and impartiality. We pursue accountability irrespective of the race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation of the victims or the perpetrators. We place particular attention on the investigation of sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against children because while very prevalent in conflict situations and devastating to societies, these crimes are often under-reported and under-prosecuted in criminal justice systems. These investigations require particular skills and sensitivities, and our recruitment and training policies reflect our determination to build such capacities. We seek to always ensure the safety and privacy of victims, witnesses and information providers by emphasising the confidentiality of our work, ensuring the security of information and obtaining the informed consent from those we contact regarding how we will use any information that they share. Our mandate is to collect evidence and build case files that can facilitate criminal prosecutions in national, regional or international courts. Many challenges remain. Building files on serious international crimes is a complex, time-consuming process. It requires proof to the high standards necessary for criminal convictions. Since the Mechanism is not a court, accountability for the crimes we investigate depends upon finding competent authorities willing and able to hold the perpetrators accountable in fair proceedings. We will then share our evidence as we have begun to do for proceedings in the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Madam President, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have helped with the Mechanism’s efforts to collect and verify evidence, including victim and survivor groups, civil society organizations, businesses and many brave individuals. With the support of this Council, we will continue to do all we can to collect evidence of the most serious international crimes so that one day, there will be justice for victims from Myanmar and all will know that impunity for such crimes will no longer be tolerated..."
Source/publisher: United Nations
2021-09-13
Date of entry/update: 2021-09-15
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Description: Co-sponsors: ''Albania,* Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium,* Bulgaria, Canada,* Costa Rica,* Croatia, Cyprus,* Czechia, Denmark, Estonia,* Finland,* France,* Georgia,* Germany,* Greece,* Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,* Italy, Latvia,* Liechtenstein,* Lithuania,* Luxembourg,* Maldives,* Malta,* Monaco,* Montenegro,* Netherlands,* North Macedonia,* Norway,* Poland,* Portugal,* Romania,* San Marino,* Slovakia, Slovenia,* Spain, Sweden,* Turkey,* Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: draft resolution...''
Source/publisher: United Nations - Human Rights Council (A/HRC/40/L.19)
2019-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-03-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: ''The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted five resolutions in which it, among other actions, extended the mandates of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali for one year, and of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar for one year. Other resolutions concerned technical assistance for Libya and Georgia; and combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief. In a resolution adopted without a vote, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali for a period of one year and requested the Independent Expert to submit a report to the Human Rights Council at its forty-third session, followed by a dialogue to assess the evolution of the human rights situation, with a particular focus on the participation of civil society, including women and young people, in the peace and reconciliation process. The Council also requested the High Commissioner to continue to provide technical assistance. By a vote of 37 in favour, three against and seven abstentions, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar for a period of one year, requested the Special Rapporteur to present an oral progress report to the Human Rights Council at its forty-first and forty-second sessions and to submit a report to the Third Committee of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session and to the Council at its forty-third session...''
Source/publisher: United Nations
2019-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-03-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Co-sponsors: "Albania,* Andorra,* Australia, Austria,* Belgium, Bulgaria,* Canada,* Croatia, Cyprus,* Czechia,* Denmark,* Estonia,* Finland,* France,* Germany, Greece,* Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,* Italy,* Latvia,* Liechtenstein,* Lithuania,* Luxembourg,* Malta,* Monaco,* Montenegro,* Netherlands,* New Zealand,* Norway,* Pakistan,† Poland,* Portugal,* Romania,* Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,* the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,* Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: draft resolution"...(adopted:- 35 in favour, 3 against, 7 abstentions)
Source/publisher: UN Human Rights Council (39th Session)
2018-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-03
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Size: 164.31 KB 351.21 KB 532.58 KB 377.77 KB 391.86 KB 200.89 KB
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Description: 27 Sep 2018 - Vote on Draft Resolution - A/HRC/39/L.22 - "Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar" - submitted by Austria (on behalf of the European Union) and Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) - ADOPTED (35 YES ¦ 3 NO ¦ 7 ABSTENTIONS) Votes on Draft Resolutions under Agenda Item:2 - Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General 39th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council. HRC extranet (information on daily updates, draft documentation, copies of oral statements etc.) SPEAKERS Pakistan (on behalf of the OIC), Mr. Farukh Amil (Introduction) Austria (on behalf of the EU), Ms. Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Mr. Julian Braithwaite Egypt, Mr. Alaa Youssef Myanmar (Concerned Country), Mr. Kyaw Moe Tun Brazil, Ms. Maria Nazareth Farani Azevêdo China, Mr. Jiang Duan Iceland, Mr. Harald Aspelund Japan, Mr. Ken Okaniwa Peru, Ms. Ana Teresa Lecaros Terry Philippines, Ms. Maria Teresa T. Almojuela Mr. Vojislav Šuc, President of the Human Rights Council (Adoption)
Source/publisher: UN Human Rights Council (39th Session)
2018-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2018-09-29
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Description: Adopted by a recorded vote (32 to 5, with 10 abstentions), 55th meeting, 23 March 2018
Source/publisher: Human Rights Council (A/HRC/37/L.43)
2018-03-23
Date of entry/update: 2018-04-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: Resolution adopted without a vote on 24 March 2017.....Decides, inter alia, "to dispatch urgently an independent international fact-finding mission to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council to establish the facts and circumstances of the alleged recent human rights violations by military and security forces, and abuses, in Myanmar, in particular in Rakhine State, including but not limited to arbitrary detention, torture and inhuman treatment, rape and other forms of sexual violence, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings, enforced disappearance, forced displacement and unlawful destruction of property, with a view to ensuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims, and requests the fact-finding mission to present to the Council an oral update at its thirty-sixth session and a full report at its thirty-seventh session" (op11)...and "to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar for a further period of one year..."(op27).
Source/publisher: United Nations - Human Rights Council (A/HRC/34/L.8/Rev.1)
2017-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2017-03-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English (links to Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish versions are in the top bar.
Format : pdf
Size: 217.46 KB
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Description: Full text of the resolution tabled by Pakistan for the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), adopted by consensus (without a vote), 3 July 2015. The Alternate URLs link to the webcast of the meetings.
Source/publisher: UN Human Rights Council (A/HRC/29/L.30)
2015-07-03
Date of entry/update: 2015-07-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 170.92 KB
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Description: Resolution adopted without a vote...Statements by delegates may be seen on the UN webcast at http://webtv.un.org/search/ahrc28l.21rev.1-vote-item4-57th-meeting-28th-regular-session-human-rights-council/4137987781001?term=myanmar
Source/publisher: UN Human Rights Council
2015-03-27
Date of entry/update: 2015-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 190.21 KB 249.24 KB 265.47 KB 123.89 KB 150.71 KB 342.66 KB
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Description: Resolution on Myanmar adopted without a vote (by consensus)
Source/publisher: United Nations Human Rights Council (A /HRC/RES/25/26)
2014-03-28
Date of entry/update: 2014-07-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Arabic, Chinese, Espanol, Francais, Русский
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 44.52 KB 95.18 KB 347.03 KB 49.08 KB 129.72 KB 119.26 KB
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Source/publisher: United Nations Human Rights Council (A /HRC/ 2 2 /L. 20 /Rev.1)
2013-03-19
Date of entry/update: 2013-03-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 179.92 KB 98.65 KB 384.73 KB 47.65 KB 133.48 KB 124.1 KB
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Description: Adopted without a vote, 22 March 2012, as orally amended... N.B. the final text, with amendments, has not yet been issued by the UN. The present text was assembled by accepting the changes in the Word "track changes" document placed on the HRC Extranet and converting to pdf.
Source/publisher: United Nations (A/HRC/19/L.30)
2012-03-22
Date of entry/update: 2012-03-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
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Description: Resolution adopted by consensus (without a vote) 25 March 2011..."The Council adopted without a vote a resolution in which it extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar for one year. The Council strongly condemned the ongoing systematic violations of human rights of the people of Myanmar and called on the Government to investigate all reports of human rights violations and to bring those responsible to justice."
Source/publisher: Human Rights Council (A/HRC/16/L.11)
2011-03-25
Date of entry/update: 2011-03-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 71.42 KB
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Description: The resolution was adopted by consensus on the 26th March, 2010
Source/publisher: United Nations
2010-03-26
Date of entry/update: 2010-03-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 46 KB 98.56 KB 382.06 KB 49.56 KB 129.5 KB 125.6 KB
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Description: Adopted without a vote (by consensus)...I saw some reference to a revised version of the text and I am not sure if this is it - Librarian.....For the Webcast of the debate, go to http://www.un.org/webcast/unhrc/archive.asp?go=010 go to 27 March and scroll down or search for L.28 -- last item in the morning session.
Source/publisher: United Nations Human Rights Council (A/HRC/10/L.28)
2009-03-27
Date of entry/update: 2009-03-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Arabic, Chinese, English, Espanol, Francais, Russian
Format : pdf
Size: 29.22 KB
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Description: L.12 is the text as decided. Resolution 8/14 is the version recorded in the HRC report, but lacking the list of co-sponsors.
Source/publisher: United Nations (A/HRC/8/L.12)
2008-06-12
Date of entry/update: 2008-06-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 32.52 KB
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Description: Adopted by consensus, 28 March 2008
Source/publisher: United Nations (A/HRC/7/L.37)
2008-03-28
Date of entry/update: 2008-03-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 34.65 KB 76 KB 84.9 KB 96.56 KB 92.89 KB 29.58 KB
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Description: Adopted by consensus, 28 March 2008....This may be the final version, or there may be oral revisions to add.
Source/publisher: United Nations (A/HRC/7/L.36)
2008-03-28
Date of entry/update: 2008-03-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 35.78 KB 76 KB 109.49 KB 98.4 KB 102.62 KB
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Description: The text of the draft resolution (A/HRC/6/L.38) is given as well as the final text and documnet number (A/HRC/RES/6/33). The L texts contain the list of most co-sponsors (though not those added during the session).
Source/publisher: United Nations A/HRC/RES/6/33 (A/HRC/6/L.38)
2007-12-14
Date of entry/update: 2008-03-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, French, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese
Format : pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf pdf
Size: 25.21 KB 268.53 KB 80.29 KB 25.97 KB 14.99 KB 25.63 KB 20.34 KB 93.79 KB 97.04 KB 102.62 KB 88.15 KB 105.02 KB
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