A/HRC/42/21 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 3 July 2019 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-second session 9–27 September 2019 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 Impact of civilian acquisition, possession and use of firearms on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights* Summary In the present report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights highlights how increased civilian access to firearms, including lawfully acquired weapons, leads to increased levels of violence and insecurity, which have a negative impact on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. In the report, the High Commissioner also discusses the particular impact that civilian access to firearms has on the human rights of women, children, adolescents and members of ethnic minorities. After an examination of regulatory as well as non-regulatory measures for protecting human rights and preventing violations of human rights, the report sets forth various elements of good regulatory practices and concludes with a number of recommendations. * The present report was submitted after the deadline so as to include the most recent information. GE.19-11223(E) 