A/HRC/RES/45/16 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 12 October 2020 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-fifth session 14 September–7 October 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 6 October 2020 45/16. Mandate of the open-ended intergovernmental working group to elaborate the content of an international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies The Human Rights Council, Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 and 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 18 June 2007, Recalling also Human Rights Council resolution 15/26 of 1 October 2010, establishing the open-ended intergovernmental working group to consider the possibility of elaborating an international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies, Recalling further its resolution 36/11 of 28 September 2017 establishing a new openended intergovernmental working group for a period of three years, with a mandate to elaborate the content of an international regulatory framework, without prejudging the nature thereof, to protect human rights and ensure accountability for violations and abuses relating to the activities of private military and security companies, Noting that the working group held its first session from 20 to 23 May 2019 and duly reported to the Human Rights Council on the outcomes,1 Recognizing the ongoing need to protect human rights and ensure accountability for violations and abuses relating to the activities of private military and private security companies, Noting relevant national, regional and international standards and tools, including those prepared by various stakeholders, 1 See A/HRC/42/36. GE.20-13329(E) 