The United Nations
INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
The United Nations
Preamble
PART I
PART II
PART III
PART IV
PART V
PART VI
The States Parties to the present Covenant,
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the
United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable
rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace
in the world,
Recognizing that these rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person,
Recognizing that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
ideal of free human beings enjoying civil and political freedom and freedom from fear and
want can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his civil
and political rights, as well as his economic, social and cultural rights,
Considering the obligation of States under the Charter of the United Nations to promote
universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and freedoms,
Realizing that the individual, having duties to other individuals and to the community
to which he belongs, is under a responsibility to strive for the promotion and observance
of the rights recognized in the present Covenant,
Agree upon the following articles:
- All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of
that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic,
social and cultural development.
- All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their
natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of
international economic co-operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and
international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.
- The States Parties to the present Covenant, including those having
responsibility for the administration of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories, shall
promote the realization of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right,
in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
- Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect and
to ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the
rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.
- Where not already provided for by existing legislative or other
measures, each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to take the necessary steps.
in accordance with its constitutional processes and with the provisions of the present
Covenant, to adopt such legislative or other measures as may be necessary to give effect
to the rights recognized in the present Covenant.
- Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes:
- To ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms as herein
recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, notwithstanding that the violation
has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity; to
ensure that any person claiming such a remedy shall have his rights thereto determined by
competent judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other competent
authority provided for by the legal system of the State, and to develop the possibilities
of judicial remedy;
- To ensure that the competent authorities shall enforce such
remedies when granted.
The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men
and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set forth in the present
Covenant.
- In time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation
and the existence of which is officially proclaimed, the States Parties to the present
Covenant may take measures derogating from their obligations under the present Covenant to
the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, provided that such
measures are not inconsistent with their other obligations under international law and do
not involve discrimination solely on the ground of race, colour, sex, language, religion
or social origin.
- No derogation from articles 6, 7, 8 (paragraphs 1 and 2), 11, 15,
16 and 18 may be made under this provision.
- Any State Party to the present Covenant availing itself of the
right of derogation shall immediately inform the other States Parties to the present
Covenant, through the intermediary of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, of the
provisions from which it has derogated and of the reasons by which it was actuated. A
further communication shall be made, through the same intermediary, on the date on which
it terminates such derogation.
- Nothing in the present Covenant may be interpreted as implying for
any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or perform any act aimed at
the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms recognized herein or at their limitation
to a greater extent than is provided for in the present Covenant.
- There shall be no restriction upon or derogation from any of the
fundamental human rights recognized or existing in any State Party to the present Covenant
pursuant to law, conventions, regulations or custom on the pretext that the present
Covenant does not recognize such rights or that it recognizes them to a lesser extent.
- Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall
be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.
- In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence
of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in
force at the time of the commission of the crime and not contrary to the provisions of the
present Covenant and to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgment rendered by a
competent court.
- When deprivation of life constitutes the crime of genocide, it is
understood that nothing in this article shall authorize any State Party to the present
Covenant to derogate in any way from any obligation assumed under the provisions of the
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
- Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or
commutation of the sentence. Amnesty, pardon or commutation of the sentence of death may
be granted in all cases.
- Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by
persons below eighteen years of age and shall not be carried out on pregnant women.
- Nothing in this article shall be invoked to delay or to prevent
the abolition of capital punishment by any State Party to the present Covenant.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical
or scientific experimentation.
- No one shall be held in slavery; slavery and the slave-trade in
all their forms shall be prohibited.
- No one shall be held in servitude.
-
- No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour;
- Paragraph 3(a) shall not be held to preclude, in countries where
imprisonment with hard labour may be imposed as a punishment for a crime, the performance
of hard labour in pursuance of a sentence to such punishment by a competent court;
- For the purpose of this paragraph the term "forced or
compulsory labour" shall not include:
- Any work or service, not referred to in subparagraph (b),
normally required of a person who is under detention in consequence of a lawful order of a
court, or of a person during conditional release from such detention;
- Any service of a military character and, in countries where
conscientious objection is recognized, any national service required by law of
conscientious objectors;
- Any service exacted in cases of emergency or calamity
threatening the life or well-being of the community;
- Any work or service which forms part of normal civil
obligations.
- Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one
shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his
liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by
law.
- Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest,
of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him.
- Anyone arrested or detained on a criminal charge shall be brought
promptly before a judge or other officer authorized by law to exercise judicial power and
shall be entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release. It shall not be the
general rule that persons awaiting trial shall be detained in custody, but release may be
subject to guarantees to appear for trial, at any other stage of the judicial proceedings,
and, should occasion arise, for execution of the judgment.
- Anyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall
be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that that court may decide
without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention is
not lawful.
- Anyone who has been the victim of unlawful arrest or detention
shall have an enforceable right to compensation.
- All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with
humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.
-
- Accused persons shall, save in exceptional circumstances, be
segregated from convicted persons and shall be subject to separate treatment appropriate
to their status as unconvicted persons;
- Accused juvenile persons shall be separated from adults and
brought as speedily as possible for adjudication.
- The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners the
essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social rehabilitation. Juvenile
offenders shall be segregated from adults and be accorded treatment appropriate to their
age and legal status.
No one shall be imprisoned merely on the ground of inability to fulfill a contractual
obligation.
- Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within
that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.
- Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.
- The above-mentioned rights shall not be subject to any
restrictions except those which are provided by law, are necessary to protect national
security, public order (ordre public), public health or morals or the rights and freedoms
of others, and are consistent with the other rights recognized in the present Covenant.
- No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his
own country.
An alien lawfully in the territory of a State Party to the present Covenant may
expelled therefrom only in pursuance of a decision reached in accordance with law and
shall, except where compelling reasons of national security otherwise require, be allowed
to submit the reasons against his expulsion and to have his case reviewed by, and be
represented for the purpose before, the competent authority or a person or persons
especially designated by the competent authority.
- All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In
the determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights and obligations in
a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent,
independent and impartial tribunal established by law. The Press and the public may be
excluded from all or part of a trial for reasons of morals, public order (ordre public) or
national security in a democratic society, or when the interest of the private lives of
the parties so requires, or to the extent strictly necessary in the opinion of the court
in special circumstances where publicity would prejudice the interests of justice; but any
judgment rendered in a criminal case or in a suit at law shall be made public except where
the interest of juvenile persons otherwise requires or the proceedings concern matrimonial
disputes or the guardianship of children.
- Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall have the right to
be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.
- In the determination of any criminal charge against him, everyone
shall be entitled to the following minimum guarantees, in full equality:
- To be informed promptly and in detail in a language which he
understands of the nature and cause of the charge against him;
- To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his
defence and to communicate with counsel of his own choosing;
- To be tried without undue delay;
- To be tried in his presence, and to defend himself in person or
through legal assistance of his own choosing; to be informed, if he does not have legal
assistance, of this right; and to have legal assistance assigned to him, in any case where
the interests of justice so require, and without payment by him in any such case if he
does not have sufficient means to pay for it;
- To examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him and to
obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same conditions
as witnesses against him;
- To have the free assistance of an interpreter if he cannot
understand or speak the language used in court;
- Not to be compelled to testify against himself or to confess
guilt.
- In the case of juvenile persons, the procedure shall be such as
will take account of their age and the desirability of promoting their rehabilitation.
- Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to his
conviction and sentence being reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law.
- When a person has by a final decision been convicted of a
criminal offence and when subsequently his conviction has been reversed or he has been
pardoned on the ground that a new or newly discovered fact shows conclusively that there
has been a miscarriage of justice, the person who has suffered punishment as a result of
such conviction shall be compensated according to law, unless it is proved that the
non-disclosure of the unknown fact in time is wholly or partly attributable to him.
- No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an
offence for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with
the law and penal procedure of each country.
No one shall be held guilty of any criminal offence on account of
any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offence, under national or
international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be
imposed than the one that was applicable at the time when the criminal offence was
committed. if, subsequent to the commission of the offence, provision is made by law for
the imposition of a lighter penalty, the offender shall benefit thereby.
Nothing in this article shall prejudice the trial and punishment
of any person for any act or omission which, at the time when it was committed, was
criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of
nations.
Everyone shall have the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
- No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference
with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his honour
and reputation.
- Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such
interference or attacks.
- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience
and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of
his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
- No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his
freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
- Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only
to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety,
order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
- The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have
respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the
religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.
- Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without
interference.
- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this
right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all
kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art,
or through any other media of his choice.
- The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this
article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject
to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are
necessary:
- For respect of the rights or reputations of others;
- For the protection of national security or of public order
(ordre public), or of public health or morals.
- Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.
- Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that
constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by
law.
The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on
the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which
are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public
safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the
protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with
others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his
interests.
- No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other
than those which are prescribed by law and which are necessary in a democratic society in
the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the
protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of
others. This article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on members of
the armed forces and of the police in their exercise of this right.
- Nothing in this article shall authorize States Parties to the
International Labour Organization Convention of 1948 concerning Freedom of Association and
Protection of the Right to Organize to take legislative measures which would prejudice, or
to apply the law in such a manner as to prejudice, the guarantees provided for in that
Convention.
- The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society
and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
- The right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and to
found a family shall be recognized.
- No marriage shall be entered into without the free and full
consent of the intending spouses.
- States Parties to the present Covenant shall take appropriate
steps to ensure equally of rights and responsibilities of spouses as to marriage, during
marriage and at its dissolution. In the case of dissolution, provision shall be made for
the necessary protection of any children.
- Every child shall have, without any discrimination as to race,
colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property or birth, the right
to such measures of protection as are required by his status as a minor, on the part of
his family, society and the State.
- Every child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall
have a name.
- Every child has the right to acquire a nationality.
Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions
mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable restrictions:
- To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or
through freely chosen representatives;
- To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which
shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing
the free expression of the will of the electors;
- To have access, on general terms of equality, to public service
in his country.
All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the
equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination
and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any
ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national
or social origin, property, birth or other status.
In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons
belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other
members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own
religion, or to use their own language.
- There shall be established a Human Rights Committee (hereafter
referred to in the present Covenant as the Committee). It shall consist of eighteen
members and shall carry out the functions hereinafter provided.
- The Committee shall be composed of nationals of the States
Parties to the present Covenant who shall be persons of high moral character and
recognized competence in the field of human rights, consideration being given to the
usefulness of the participation of some persons having legal experience.
- The members of the Committee shall be elected and shall serve in
their personal capacity.
- The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot
from a list of persons possessing the qualifications prescribed in article 28 and
nominated for the purpose by the States Parties to the present Covenant.
- Each State Party to the present Covenant may nominate not more
than two persons. These persons shall be nationals of the nominating State.
- A person shall be eligible for renomination.
- The initial election shall be held no later than six months after
the date of the entry into force of the present Covenant.
- At least four months before the date of each election to the
Committee, other than an election to fill a vacancy declared in accordance with article
34, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall address a written invitation to the
States Parties to the present Covenant to submit their nominations for membership of the
Committee within three months.
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare a list
in alphabetical order of all the persons thus nominated, with an indication of the States
Parties which have nominated them, and shall submit it to the States Parties to the
present Covenant no later than one month before the date of each election.
- Elections of the members of the Committee shall be held at a
meeting of the States Parties to the present Covenant convened by the Secretary-General of
the United Nations at the Headquarters of the United Nations. At that meeting, for which
two thirds of the States Parties to the present Covenant shall constitute a quorum, the
persons elected to the Committee shall be those nominees who obtain the largest number of
votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives of States Parties
present and voting.
- The Committee may not include more than one national of the same
State.
- In the election of the committee, consideration shall be given to
equitable geographical distribution of membership and to the representation of the
different forms of civilization and of the principal legal systems.
- The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four
years. They shall be eligible for re-election if renominated. However, the terms of nine
of the members elected at the first election shall expire at the end of two years;
immediately after the first election, the names of these nine members shall be chosen by
lot by the chairman of the meeting referred to in article 30, paragraph 4.
- Elections at the expiry of office shall be held in accordance
with the preceding articles of this part of the present Covenant.
- If, in the unanimous opinion of the other members, a member of
the Committee has ceased to carry out his functions for any cause other than absence of a
temporary character, the Chairman of the Committee shall notify the Secretary-General of
the United Nations, who shall then declare the seat of that member to be vacant.
- In the event of the death or the resignation of a member of the
Committee, the Chairman shall immediately notify the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, who shall declare the seat vacant from the date of death or the date on which the
resignation takes effect.
- When a vacancy is declared in accordance with article 33 and if
the term of office of the member to be replaced does not expire within six months of the
declaration of the vacancy, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall notify each
of the States Parties to the present Covenant, which may within two months submit
nominations in accordance with article 29 for the purpose of filling the vacancy.
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare a list
in alphabetical order of the persons thus nominated and shall submit it to the States
Parties to the present Covenant. The election to fill the vacancy shall then take place in
accordance with the relevant provisions of this part of the present Covenant.
- A member of the Committee elected to fill a vacancy declared in
accordance with article 33 shall hold office for the remainder of the term of the member
who vacated the seat on the Committee under the provisions of that article.
The members of the Committee shall, with the approval of the General Assembly of the
United Nations, receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and
conditions as the General Assembly may decide, having regard to the importance of the
Committee's responsibilities.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall provide the necessary
staff and facilities for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee under
the present Covenant.
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall convene the
initial meeting of the Committee at the Headquarters of the United Nations.
- After its initial meeting, the Committee shall meet at such time
as shall be provided in its rules of procedure.
- The Committee shall normally meet at the Headquarters of the
United Nations or at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Every member of the Committee shall, before taking up his duties, make a solemn
declaration in open committee that he will perform his functions impartially and
conscientiously.
- The Committee shall elect its officers for a term of two years.
They may be re-elected.
- The Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure, but
these rules shall provide, inter alia, that:
- Twelve members shall constitute a quorum;
- Decisions of the committee shall be made by a majority vote of
the members present.
- The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to submit
reports on the measures they have adopted which give effect to the rights recognized
herein and on the progress made in the enjoyment of those rights:
- Within one year of the entry into force of the present Covenant
for the States Parties concerned;
- Thereafter whenever the Committee so requests.
- All reports shall be submitted to the Secretary-General of the
United Nations, who shall transmit them to the Committee for consideration. Reports shall
indicate the factors and difficulties, if any, affecting the implementation of the present
Covenant.
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations may, after
consultation with the Committee, transmit to the specialized agencies concerned copies of
such parts of the reports as may fall within their field of competence.
- The Committee shall study the reports submitted by the States
Parties to the present Covenant. It shall transmit its reports, and such general comments
as it may consider appropriate, to the States Parties. The Committee may also transmit to
the Economic and Social Council these comments along with the copies of the reports it has
received from States Parties to the present Covenant.
- The States Parties to the present Covenant may submit to the
Committee observations on any comments that may be made in accordance with paragraph 4 of
this article.
- A State Party to the present Covenant may at any time declare
under this article that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and
consider communications to the effect that a State Party claims that another State Party
is not fulfilling its obligations under the present Covenant. Communications under this
article may be received and considered only if submitted by a State Party which has made a
declaration recognizing in regard to itself the competence of the Committee. No
communication shall be received by the Committee if it concerns a State Party which has
not made such a declaration. Communications received under this article shall be dealt
with in accordance with the following procedure:
- If a State Party to the present Covenant considers that another
State Party is not giving effect to the provisions of the present Covenant, it may, by
written communication, bring the matter to the attention of that State Party. Within three
months after the receipt of the communication, the receiving State shall afford the State
which sent the communication an explanation or any other statement in writing clarifying
the matter, which should include, to the extent possible and pertinent, reference to
domestic procedures and remedies taken, pending, or available in the matter.
- If the matter in not adjusted to the satisfaction of both
States Parties concerned within six months after the receipt by the receiving State of the
initial communication, either State shall have the right to refer the matter to the
Committee, by notice given to the Committee and to the other State.
- The Committee shall deal with a matter referred to it only
after it has ascertained that all available domestic remedies have been invoked and
exhausted in the matter, in conformity with the generally recognized principles of
international law. This shall not be the rule where the application of the remedies is
unreasonably prolonged.
- The Committee shall hold closed meetings when examining
communications under this article.
- Subject to the provisions of subparagraph (c), the Committee
shall make available its good offices to the States Parties concerned with a view to a
friendly solution of the matter on the basis of respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms as recognized in the present Covenant.
- In any matter referred to it, the Committee may call upon the
States Parties concerned, referred to in subparagraph (b), to supply any relevant
information.
- The States Parties concerned, referred to in subparagraph (b),
shall have the right to be represented when the matter is being considered in the
Committee and to make submissions orally and/or in writing.
- The Committee shall, within twelve months after the date of
receipt of notice under subparagraph (b), submit a report:
- If a solution within the terms of subparagraph (e) is
reached, the Committee shall confine its report to a brief statement of the facts and of
the solution reached;
- If a solution within the terms of subparagraph (e) is not
reached, the Committee shall confine its report to a brief statement of the facts the
written submissions and record of the oral submissions made by the States Parties
concerned shall be attached to the report.
In every
matter, the report shall be communicated to the States Parties concerned.
- The provisions of this article shall come into force when ten
States Parties to the present Covenant have made declarations under paragraph 1 of this
article. Such declarations shall be deposited by the States Parties with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall transmit copies thereof to the other
States Parties. A declaration may be withdrawn at any time by notification to the
Secretary-General. Such a withdrawal shall not prejudice the consideration of any matter
which is the subject of a communication already transmitted under this article; no further
communication by any State Party shall be received after the notification of withdrawal of
the declaration has been received by the Secretary-General, unless the State Party
concerned has made a new declaration.
- If a matter referred to the Committee in accordance with
article 41 is not resolved to the satisfaction of the States Parties concerned, the
Committee may, with the prior consent of the States Parties concerned, appoint an ad hoc
Conciliation Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission). The good offices of
the Commission shall be made available to the States Parties concerned with a view to an
amicable solution of the matter on the basis of respect for the present Covenant;
- The Commission shall consist of five persons acceptable to the
States Parties concerned. If the States Parties concerned fail to reach agreement within
three months on all or part of the composition of the Commission, the members of the
Commission concerning whom no agreement has been reached shall be elected by secret ballot
by a two-thirds majority vote of the Committee from among its members.
- The information received and collated by the Committee shall be
made available to the Commission and the Commission may call upon the States Parties
concerned to supply any other relevant information.
- When the Commission has fully considered the matter, but in any
event not later than twelve months after having been seized of the matter, it shall submit
to the Chairman of the Committee a report for communication to the States Parties
concerned:
- The provisions of this article are without prejudice to the
responsibilities of the Committee under article 41.
- The States Parties concerned shall share equally all the expenses
of the members of the Commission in accordance with estimates to be provided by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall be empowered
to pay the expenses of the members of the Commission, if necessary, before reimbursement
by the States Parties concerned, in accordance with paragraph 9 of this article.
The members of the Committee, and of the ad hoc conciliation commissions which may be
appointed under article 42, shall be entitled to the facilities, privileges and immunities
of experts on mission for the United Nations as laid down in the relevant sections of the
Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
The provisions for the implementation of the present Covenant shall apply without
prejudice to the procedures prescribed in the field of human rights by or under the
constituent instruments and the conventions of the United Nations and of the specialized
agencies and shall not prevent the States Parties to the present Covenant from having
recourse to other procedures for settling a dispute in accordance with general or special
international agreements in force between them.
The Committee shall submit to the General Assembly of the United Nations, through the
Economic and Social council, an annual report on its activities.
Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the provisions of the
Charter of the United Nations and of the constitutions of the specialized agencies which
define the respective responsibilities of the various organs of the United Nations and of
specialized agencies in regard to the matters dealt with in the present Covenant.
Article 47
Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the inherent right of
all peoples to enjoy and utilize fully and freely their natural wealth and resources.
- The present Covenant is open for signature by any State Member of
the United Nations or member of any of its specialized agencies, by any State Party to the
Statute of the International Court of Justice, and by any other State which has been
invited by the General Assembly of the United Nations to become a party to the present
Covenant.
- The present Covenant is subject to ratification. Instruments of
ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- The present Covenant shall be open to accession by any State
referred to in paragraph 1 of this article.
- Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of
accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all
States which have signed this Covenant or acceded to it of the deposit of each instrument
of ratification or accession.
- The present Covenant shall enter into force three months after
the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the
thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
- For each State ratifying the present Covenant or acceding to it
after the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of
accession, the present Covenant shall enter into force three months after the date of the
deposit of its own instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of federal States
without any limitations or exceptions.
- Any State Party to the present Covenant may propose an amendment
and file it with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the
United Nations shall thereupon communicate any proposed amendments to the States Parties
to the present Covenant with a request that they notify him whether they favour a
conference of States Parties for the purpose of considering and voting upon the proposals.
In the event that at least on third of the States Parties favours such a conference, the
Secretary-General shall convene the conference under the auspices of the United Nations.
Any amendment adopted by a majority of the States Parties present and voting at the
conference shall be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations for approval.
- Amendments shall come into force when they have been approved by
the General Assembly of the United Nations and accepted by a two-thirds majority of the
State Parties to the present Covenant in accordance with their respective constitutional
processes.
- When amendments come into force, they shall be binding on those
States Parties which have accepted them, other States Parties still being bound by the
provisions of the present Covenant and any earlier amendment which they have accepted.
Irrespective of the notifications made under article 48, paragraph 5, the
Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States referred to in paragraph 1
of the same article of the following particulars:
- Signatures, ratifications and accessions under article 48;
- The date of the entry into force of the present Covenant under
article 49 and the date of the entry into force of any amendments under article 51.
- The present Covenant, of which the Chinese, English, French,
Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the
United Nations.
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit
certified copies of the present Covenant to all States referred to in article 48.