A/HRC/RES/18/12 Recognizing the importance of the principle that, except for those lawful limitations that are demonstrably necessitated by the fact of incarceration, persons deprived of their liberty shall retain their non-derogable human rights and all other human rights and fundamental freedoms, Aware of the need for special vigilance with regard to the specific situation of children, juveniles and women in the administration of justice, in particular while deprived of their liberty, and their vulnerability to violence, abuse, injustice and humiliation, Reaffirming that the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all decisions concerning deprivation of liberty and, in particular, that depriving children and juveniles of their liberty should be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, in particular before trial, and the need to ensure that, if they are arrested, detained or imprisoned, children should be separated from adults, to the greatest extent feasible, unless it is considered in the child’s best interest not to do so, Reaffirming also that the best interests of the child shall be an important consideration in all matters concerning the child related to sentencing of his or her parents or, where applicable, legal guardians or primary caregivers, 1. Welcomes the latest reports of the Secretary-General submitted to the Human Rights Council on human rights in the administration of justice, including juvenile justice;8 2. Reaffirms the importance of the full and effective implementation of all United Nations standards on human rights in the administration of justice; 3. Calls upon States to spare no effort in providing for effective legislative, judicial, social, educative and other relevant mechanisms and procedures, as well as adequate resources, to ensure the full implementation of those standards, and invites them to take into consideration the issue of human rights in the administration of justice in the universal periodic review procedure; 4. Invites Governments to include in their national development plans the administration of justice as an integral part of the development process, and to allocate adequate resources for the provision of legal aid services with a view to the promotion and protection of human rights, and invites the international community to respond favourably to requests for financial and technical assistance for the enhancement and strengthening of the administration of justice; 5. Stresses the special need for national capacity-building in the field of the administration of justice, in particular to establish and maintain stable societies and the rule of law in post-conflict situations, through reform of the judiciary, the police and the penal system, as well as juvenile justice reform; 6. Invites Governments to provide for training, including anti-racist, multicultural and gender-sensitive and child rights training, in human rights in the administration of justice, including juvenile justice, for all judges, lawyers, prosecutors, social workers, immigration, correction officers and police officers and other professionals working in the field of administration of justice; 7. Encourages States to pay due attention to the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders when developing and implementing relevant legislation, procedures, policies and practices, and invites relevant special procedures mandate holders, the Office of the United Nations High 8 A/HRC/14/34 and 35. 3

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents