Human Rights and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism

A/HRC/RES/30/15View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, published in 2015.

What subjects does this mandate have?

16 subjects

Communication Technology Conferences Counter-Terrorism Crime Prevention Cultural Pluralism Education Human Rights Human Rights Education International Law International Obligations Internet Public-Private Partnerships Radicalism Report Preparation Violence Youth

What’s in this document?

18 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms that acts, methods and practices of violent extremism in all their forms and manifestations are activities that aim to threaten the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and democracy, and threaten the territorial integrity and security of States, and destabilize legitimately constituted Governments, and that the international community should take the steps necessary to enhance cooperation to prevent and counter violent extremism;

Also reaffirms the primary responsibility of States in preventing and countering violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations on the territory under their jurisdiction, in full compliance with their international law obligations;

Urges States to ensure that any measures taken to prevent and counter violent extremism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law;

Calls upon States and local entities involved in supporting the prevention and countering of violent extremism efforts to continue to facilitate the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through human rights education and training, as well as due process and the rule of law;

Encourages States to engage with local communities and non-governmental actors through a whole-of-society approach in developing strategies that respect human rights and fundamental freedoms to counter narratives that incite acts of violent extremism and terrorism and address the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism, including by empowering women, religious, cultural, education and local leaders, engaging members of all concerned groups in civil society and from the private sector, adopting tailored approaches that incorporate human rights and fundamental freedoms to prevent and counter recruitment to this kind of violent extremism, and promoting social inclusion and cohesion;

Stresses the need to empower youth, including by means of targeted youth employment programmes that promote political participation, economic inclusion and social cohesion and respect for human rights as a means to prevent and counter violent extremism;

Reaffirms the important role that education, including human rights education and training, can play in preventing and countering violent extremism, and in this regard encourages States to cooperate in efforts to achieve the goals and targets under the Education For All movement and work to achieve the aims of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 66/137 of 19 December 2011;

Emphasizes that tolerance and dialogue among civilizations and the enhancement of interfaith and intercultural understanding and respect among peoples, including at the national, regional and global levels, while avoiding the escalation of hatred are among the most important elements in promoting cooperation, combating terrorism and countering violent extremism, and welcomes the various initiatives to this end;

Expresses concern over the increased use by terrorists and violent extremists and their supporters of communications technology for the purpose of radicalizing to terrorism or violent extremism, recruiting and inciting others to commit acts of terrorism or violent extremism, including through the Internet;

Calls upon Member States to advocate for and disseminate information on tolerance and mutual respect, and underlines the potential contribution of the media and new communications technology, including the Internet, to promoting respect for all human rights, to developing a better understanding among all religions, beliefs, cultures and peoples, to enhancing tolerance and mutual respect and thus to strengthening the rejection of violent extremism;

Emphasizes that civil society should have an enabling environment to develop, promote and advance comprehensive solutions to prevent and counter violent extremism in accordance with national strategies and respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and recognizing the contributions of civil society to these efforts;

Also emphasizes the need to enhance international cooperation and effective partnerships, including by strengthening national capacities and developing, promoting and implementing comprehensive and coordinated solutions that respect human rights and are aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism;

Underscores the need to promote community-oriented and law enforcement efforts that respect human rights in preventing and countering violent extremism;

Also underscores the need to prevent and counter radicalization that leads to violent extremism in detention facilities and prisons, and to support rehabilitation and reintegration measures while promoting human rights;

Recognizes the work of relevant United Nations agencies and international, regional and subregional organizations and civil society in preventing and countering violent extremism, as well as the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force and its entities, and the development and implementation of good practices in various forums such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum, including as outlined in its Ankara Memorandum on Good Practices for a Multi-Sectoral Approach to Countering Violent Extremism;

Underscores the central role of the United Nations in preventing and countering violent extremism, notes the importance of relevant United Nations bodies and entities in assisting States in this field, and calls upon the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant international stakeholders to complement ongoing United Nations initiatives on preventing and countering violent extremism in full accordance with their respective mandates;

Decides to convene a panel at its thirty-first session to discuss the human rights dimensions of preventing and countering violent extremism, and requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report on the panel discussion;

Requests the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a compilation report on best practices and lessons learned on how protecting and promoting human rights contribute to preventing and countering violent extremism by the thirty-third session of the Council, and encourages the Office to consult with Member States, United Nations entities and other organizations, as appropriate, to benefit from ongoing relevant work on the human rights dimensions of preventing and countering violent extremism.

Reissued for technical reasons on 5 November 2015.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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