Human Rights Council

Forty- fo u rth session

30 June–17 July 2020

Agenda item 3

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 16 July 2020

4 4 / 13. Extreme poverty and human rights

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights, the ideal of a world in which all human beings can enjoy freedom from fear and want can be achieved only if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his or her economic, social and cultural rights, as well as his or her civil and political rights, and reaffirming in this regard the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

Recalling also all previous resolutions on the issue of human rights and extreme poverty adopted by the General Assembly, including resolutions 71/186 of 19 December 2016 and 73/163 of 17 December 2018, and by the Commission on Human Rights, as well as Human Rights Council resolutions, including Council resolutions 2/2 of 27 November 2006, 7/27 of 28 March 2008, 8/11 of 18 June 2008, 12/19 of 2 October 2009, 15/19 of 30 September 2010, 17/13 of 17 June 2011, 21/11 of 27 September 2012, 26/3 of 26 June 2014, and 35/19 of 22 June 2017, and noting the Declaration on the Right to Development,

Recalling further that, in its resolution 74/234 of 19 December 2019, the General Assembly proclaimed the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018–2027) in order to maintain the momentum generated by the first and second Decades and to support, in an efficient and coordinated manner, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, and the commitment therein to ending poverty in all its forms, including by eradicating extreme poverty by 2030, and the objective of leaving no one behind and reaching the furthest behind first,

Recalling that, in its resolution 67/164 of 20 December 2012, the General Assembly took note with appreciation of the guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights, adopted by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 21/11, as a useful tool for States in the formulation and implementation of poverty reduction and eradication policies, as appropriate,

Reaffirming in this regard the commitments made at relevant United Nations conferences and summits, including those made at the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in 1995, at the Millennium Summit, and at the 2005 World Summit,

Deeply concerned that extreme poverty persists in all countries of the world, regardless of their economic, social and cultural situation, and that its extent and manifestations are particularly severe in developing countries,

Deeply concerned also about the loss of life and livelihoods and the disruption to economies and societies caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and its negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights around the world,

Recognizing that the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit by the pandemic, and that the impact of the crisis will reverse hard-won development gains and hamper progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,

Reaffirming that the existence of widespread extreme poverty inhibits the full and effective enjoyment of human rights and that its immediate alleviation and eventual eradication must remain a high priority for the international community, and that the efforts towards the achievement of this goal should be strengthened,

Stressing that respect for all human rights – civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights – which are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated, is of crucial importance for all policies and programmes to effectively fight extreme poverty at the local and national levels,

Recalling its resolutions 5/1, on the institution-building of the Human Rights Council, and 5/2, on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate Holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his or her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

1. Welcomes the work of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, including his thematic reports and country visits;

2. Decides to extend, for a period of three years, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, as set out in Human Rights Council resolution 8/11;

3.Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to give high priority to the issue of extreme poverty and human rights, to pursue further work in this area in full cooperation with the Special Rapporteur in the various activities, and to continue to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the human and budgetary assistance necessary for the effective fulfilment of his mandate;

4.Requests the Special Rapporteur to submit an annual report on the implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly and to the Human Rights Council, in accordance with their programmes of work;

5.Also requests the Special Rapporteur to participate in relevant international dialogues and policy forums relating to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to undertake thematic research with a view to advising States and relevant State institutions on the eradication of extreme poverty in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including with reference to targets 1.1, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals and other goals and targets related to extreme poverty;

6.Invites the Special Rapporteur to dedicate his next annual report to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the enjoyment of all human rights by persons in extreme poverty, identifying challenges and including recommendations and good practices to ensure that no one is left behind in the adoption and implementation of crisis management and post-crisis recovery plans;

7.Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in his task, to supply all necessary information requested by the mandate holder, and to respond favourably to the requests of the Special Rapporteur to visit their countries to enable him to fulfil his mandate effectively;

8.Invites relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, the treaty bodies, other relevant mandate holders, and civil society actors, including non-governmental organizations, as well as the private sector, to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur in the fulfilment of his mandate;

9.Decides to continue its consideration of the issue of extreme poverty and human rights in accordance with its programme of work.

27th meeting 16 July 2020

[Adopted without a vote.]