A/HRC/20/31 Annex Draft declaration on the right to peace Preamble The Human Rights Council, Reaffirming the common will of all people to live in peace with each other, Reaffirming also that the principal aim of the United Nations is the maintenance of international peace and security, Bearing in mind the fundamental principles of international law set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling General Assembly resolution 39/11 of 12 November 1984, in which the Assembly proclaimed that the peoples of our planet have a sacred right to peace, Recalling also the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which states that all peoples have the right to national and international peace and security, Recalling further that all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations, Convinced that the prohibition of the use of force is the primary international prerequisite for the material well-being, development and progress of countries, and for the full implementation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed by the United Nations, Expressing the will of all peoples that the use of force must be eradicated from the world, including through full nuclear disarmament, without delay, Adopts the following: Article 1. Right to peace: principles 1. Individuals and peoples have a right to peace. This right shall be implemented without any distinction or discrimination for reasons of race, descent, national, ethnic or social origin, colour, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, religion or belief, political or other opinion, economic situation or heritage, diverse physical or mental functionality, civil status, birth or any other condition. 2. States, severally and jointly, or as part of multilateral organizations, are the principal duty-holders of the right to peace. 3. The right to peace is universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. 4. States shall abide by the legal obligation to renounce the use or threat of use of force in international relations. 5. All States, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, shall use peaceful means to settle any dispute to which they are parties. 6. All States shall promote the establishment, maintenance and strengthening of international peace in an international system based on respect for the principles enshrined in the Charter and the promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development and the right of peoples to self-determination. 3