A/HRC/RES/43/16 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 6 July 2020 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-third session 24 February–13 March and 15–23 June 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 22 June 2020 43/16. Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders The Human Rights Council, Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant instruments, Recalling General Assembly resolution 53/144 of 9 December 1998, by which the Assembly adopted by consensus the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms annexed to that resolution, and reiterating the importance of the Declaration and its promotion and implementation, Recalling also the continued validity and application of all the provisions of the above-mentioned Declaration, Recalling further all previous resolutions on this subject, including Human Rights Council resolutions 16/5 of 24 March 2011, 25/18 of 28 March 2014, 31/32 of 24 March 2016, 34/5 of 23 March 2017 and 40/11 of 21 March 2019, and General Assembly resolutions 68/181 of 18 December 2013, 70/161 of 17 December 2015, 72/247 of 24 December 2017 and 74/146 of 18 December 2019, Recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, on institution-building of the 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, Emphasizing the important role that individuals and civil society institutions, including non-governmental organizations, groups and national human rights institutions, play at the local, national, regional and international levels in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, Reiterating the grave concerns expressed by the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council with regard to the serious risks faced by human rights defenders due to threats, attacks, reprisals and acts of intimidation against them, GE.20-08966(E) 