UNITED NATIONS A General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/HRC/RES/12/3 12 October 2009 Original: ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twelfth session 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* 12/3. Independence and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors and the independence of lawyers The Human Rights Council, Guided by articles 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2, 4, 9, 14 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and bearing in mind the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Recalling the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, the Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors and the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, Convinced that an independent and impartial judiciary, an independent legal profession and the integrity of the judicial system are essential prerequisites for the protection of human rights and the application of the rule of law and for ensuring a fair trial and that there is no discrimination in the administration of justice, Recalling all previous resolutions and decisions of the Commission on Human Rights, the Council and the General Assembly on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and on the integrity of the judicial system, * The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its twelfth session (A/HRC/12/50), chap. I. GE.09-16536