A/72/171
The Assembly affirmed therein the duty of States to cooperate in accordance with
the Charter and noted the necessity of strengthening the principle of solidarity
contained within the Charter for the purpose of addressing global challenges and for
the promotion of universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and
fundamental freedoms.
9.
In 2002, in its resolution 57/265, the General Assembly established the World
Solidarity Fund, with the goal of eradicating poverty and promoting social and
human development.
10. In 2005, its resolution 60/209, while commemorating the implementation of
the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, the General
Assembly recalled that international solidarity had been identified in the United
Nations Millennium Declaration as one of the fundamental and universal values that
should underlie relations between peoples and proclaimed International Human
Solidarity Day, to be celebrated on 20 December each year.
11. Furthermore, in 2006, in its resolution 60/251, establishing the Human Rights
Council, the General Assembly recognized that the promotion and protection of
human rights should be based on the principles of cooperation and genuine dialogue
and aimed at strengthening the capacity of Member States to comply with their
human rights obligations for the benefit of all human beings.
B.
Comments on the revisions to and content of the draft declaration
12. At the twenty-sixth session of the Human Rights Council, in June 2014, the
Independent Expert presented a report containing a proposed draft declaration on
the right of peoples and individuals to international solidarity ( A/HRC/26/34,
annex). She explained therein that, because the document had been prepared in the
absence of comments and input from most States, she had used the word “proposed”
in the title of the draft declaration. In that regard, one of her recommendations was
that the Council hold regional consultations on the proposed draft declaration so
that she would be able to gather as much input as possible from States and their
representatives. At the end of the consultation cycle, she would consolidate and
consider the output, revise the proposed draft declaration as appropriate and submit
an amended version for consideration.
13. In its resolution 26/6, the Human Rights Council noted with appreciation the
proposed draft declaration and decided that, to obtain further input from as many
Member States as possible, the Independent Expert, with the assistance of the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, would convene
regional consultations, consolidate and consider the output therefrom and submit a
report at the thirty-second session, in June 2016. The Independent Expert was also
requested to submit a revised draft declaration to the Council and the General
Assembly before the end of her second term, in June 2017.
14. The Independent Expert has revised the proposed draft declaration pursuant to
five regional consultations conducted in 2015 and 2016 and an expert group meeting
held in February 2017, as well as significant further reflection and research. The
goals of that process were to incorporate the perspectives of M ember States, civil
society and experts into the draft declaration, as appropriate, and to harmonize the
document with the existing framework of international law, in particular
international human rights law.
15. Throughout the draft declaration, the Independent Expert has incorporated
references to language and concepts already agreed upon in established international
legal documents, including the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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