Sixty-first session Third Committee Agenda item 67 (b) Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms Belarus and Uzbekistan: draft resolution Promotion of equitable and mutually respectful dialogue on human rights The General Assembly, Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments, Acknowledging that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and that the international community must treat human rights globally in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis, and that the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, Stressing the importance of developing friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples and achieving international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms through international cooperation, Emphasizing the responsibilities of all States, in conformity with the Charter, to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language or religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, Bearing in mind General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 entitled “Human Rights Council”, in particular the decision of the Assembly that the Human Rights Council should undertake a universal periodic review in a manner that ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States, and the decision of the Human Rights Council on the establishment of an intersessional open-ended intergovernmental working group to develop the modalities of the universal periodic review mechanism, based on an interactive dialogue as well as on objective and reliable information, Recognizing that politically motivated and biased country-specific resolutions on the situation of human rights severely undermine the principles of objectivity and non-selectivity in the consideration of human rights issues and are counterproductive to the cause of promoting of human rights, 1. Urges Member States to further strengthen international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights in order to enhance dialogue and broaden understanding among civilizations, cultures and religions; 2. Calls upon Member States to base their approaches to the development of international dialogue on human rights on the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights_Ref150325493 \h \* MERGEFORMAT 1 and other relevant international human rights instruments and to refrain from approaches that are inconsistent with that international framework; 3. Reaffirms that the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as a legitimate concern of the world community, and the development of international dialogue on human rights should be guided by the principles of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity and should not be used for political purposes; 4. Stresses the need to ensure that country-specific resolutions on the situation of human rights should be used only in cases of massive violations of human rights related to genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; 5. Affirms that respect for political, economic and cultural diversity for all contributes to the development of stable and friendly relations among countries and equitable and mutually respectful international dialogue on human rights; 6. Stresses the continuing need for unbiased and objective information on the situation of human rights in all countries and the need to present this information in impartial manner, including through the reports of the special rapporteurs and representatives, independent experts and working groups; 7. Decides to consider this matter at its sixty-second session under the item entitled “Human rights questions”. Resolution 217 A (III). Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/61/53), part one, chap. II.B, decision 1/103. __________________ __________________  sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/C.3/61/L.31 sss1 \* MERGEFORMAT A/C.3/61/L.31 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 06-60018 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 \* MERGEFORMAT 2 FooterJN \* MERGEFORMAT 06-60018 United Nations A/C.3/61/L.31 General Assembly Distr.: Limited 2 November 2006 Original: English jobn \* MERGEFORMAT 06-60018 (E) 031106 Barcode \* MERGEFORMAT *0660018*