A/HRC/33/20 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 12 July 2016 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-third session Agenda items 2 and 3 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Question of the death penalty Report of the Secretary-General Summary Pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 18/117, the present report is submitted to update previous reports on the question of the death penalty. The present report confirms that the trend towards the universal abolition of the death penalty is continuing. During the reporting period, initiatives restricting the use of the death penalty were also recorded in several de facto abolitionist States, as well as in States that continue to apply the death penalty. Numerous initiatives have also been taken by States to implement the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. However, a minority of States continued to use the death penalty in contravention of international human rights law. As requested in Human Rights Council resolution 22/11, the present report also includes information on the human rights of children of parents sentenced to the death penalty or executed. GE.16-11932(E) 