A/HRC/17/39 Proposed standards 1. The peoples of our planet have a human right to peace. 2. The preservation, promotion and implementation of the right of peoples to peace constitute a fundamental obligation of all States. 3. Peace and development are fundamental human rights that are the pillars of the United Nations system and the foundations for human security and well-being; 4. Exercise of the right of peoples to peace and its promotion and implementation demand that the policies of States are directed towards the elimination of the threat of war, particularly nuclear war, the renunciation of the use or threat of use of force in international relations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations; 5. All States shall promote the establishment, maintenance and strengthening of international peace and security 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; 6. All States shall respect and put into practice the Principles and Purposes of the Charter in their relations with all other States, irrespective of their political, economic or social systems or of their size, geographical location or level of economic development, particularly refraining 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 and further refraining from intervening in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State; 7. All States, in accordance with the Principles of the Charter, shall use peaceful means to settle any dispute to which they are parties and the continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, and encourages States to settle their disputes as early as possible, as an important contribution to the promotion and protection of all human rights of everyone and all peoples.13 8. To strengthen international rule of law, all States should strive to support the International Criminal Court and its work on crimes against humanity, war crimes, the crime of genocide and the crime of aggression. B. Disarmament 24. The manufacture of weapons, arms races and the excessive and uncontrolled traffic of all kinds of arms jeopardize international peace and security. The failure of States to observe the obligations laid down in the relevant treaties in the field of disarmament, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the possession, deployment and threat of use of weapons impedes respect for human rights. 25. The continuing existence of nuclear weapons poses a permanent threat to world peace, as their use would have catastrophic consequences for all life on earth and humankind in general.14 The Human Rights Committee has recognized that the designing, 13 14 6 Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX). See “US opposes ICC bid to make 'aggression' a crime under international law”, CSMonitor, 15 June 2010. See General Assembly resolution 39/11 (1984), Human Rights Council resolutions 8/9 (2008), 11/4 and 14/3 (paras. 6-10), and Article 2 of the Charter. The Russell-Einstein Manifesto, London, 9 July 1955, resolution.