United Nations General Assembly A/HRC/DEC/17/120 Distr.: General 6 July 2011 Original: English Human Rights Council Seventeenth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Decision adopted by the Human Rights Council∗ 17/120 Panel on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests At its 35th meeting, on 17 June 2011, the Human Rights Council decided to adopt the following text: “The Human Rights Council, Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Reaffirming also that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, States Members of the United Nations have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, Recognizing that, pursuant to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression and of association are human rights guaranteed to all, while their exercise may be subject to certain restrictions, in accordance with the State’s obligations under applicable international human rights instruments, ∗ The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its seventeenth session (A/HRC/17/2), chap. I. GE.11-14548