A/HRC/RES/20/14 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 16 July 2012 Original: English Human Rights Council Twentieth session Agenda item 8 Follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council  20/14. National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights The Human Rights Council, Recalling Human Rights Council resolution 17/9 of 16 June 2011, as well as relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, the most recent of which is resolution 66/169 of 19 December 2011, and those of the Commission on Human Rights concerning national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, Welcoming the international recognition of the importance of establishing and strengthening independent, pluralistic national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights in accordance with the Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (“the Paris Principles”), Reaffirming the important role that such national institutions play and will continue to play in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, in strengthening participation and the rule of law, and in developing and enhancing public awareness of those rights and fundamental freedoms, Recalling the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June l993, which reaffirmed the important and constructive role played by national human rights institutions, in particular in their advisory capacity to the competent authorities and their role in preventing and remedying human rights violations, in disseminating information on human rights and in education in human rights, Recognizing the important role of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in assisting the development of independent and effective national human rights institutions, in accordance with the Paris Principles, and recognizing also in this regard the potential for strengthened and complementary cooperation among the  GE.12-15367 The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its twentieth session (A/HRC/20/2), chap. I.