United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Globalisation and its Impact on the
Full Enjoyment of All Human Rights

Commission on Human Rights resolution 1999/59

The Commission on Human Rights,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and expressing in particular the need to achieve international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction,

Recalling the Universal declaration of Human Rights, as well as the Vienna Declaration and Programme of action, Recalling also the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

Recognising 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,

Realising that globalisation affects all countries differently and makes them more susceptible to external development, positive and negative, including in the field of human rights,

Realising also that globalisation is not merely an economic process but also has social, political, environmental, cultural and legal dimensions which have an impact on the full enjoyment of all human rights,

Recognising that multialateral mechanisms have a unique role to play in meeting the challenges and opportunites presented by globalisation,

Noting that human beings strive for a world respectful of cultures, identities and human rights, and, in that regard, work to ensure that all activities, including those affected by globalisation, are consistent with these aims,

1. Recognises that, while globalisation, by its impact on, inter alia, the role of the State, may affect human rights, the promotion and protection of all human rights is first and foremost the responsibility of the State;
   
2. Underlines, therefore, the need to analyse the consequences of globalisation on the full enjoyment of all human rights;
   
3. Requests all the treaty bodies, special reporters/representatives independent experts and Working Groups of the Commission on Human Rights, within their mandates and where appropriate, to take into consideration the issue of the impact of globalisation on the full enjoyment of all human rights in their reports;
   
4. Requests the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and protection of Minorities to undertake a study, based on the reports of the treaty bodies, special reporters, independent experts and working groups of the commission on Human Rights on the issue of globalisation and its impact on the full enjoyment of all human rights, for the consideration of the commission at its fifty-seventh session;
   
5. Decides to consider this issue again in the future when appropriate.

58th meeting
28 April 1999
[Adopted by a roll-call vote of 30 votes to 2, with 20 abstentions. See chap. XVII]

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