A/HRC/42/28 X. Conclusions and recommendations 44. The Secretary-General welcomes all measures taken by States towards limiting the application of, or abolishing, the death penalty. These measures constitute progress in the protection of the right to life and are important steps towards the universal abolition of the death penalty. He encourages States that continue to impose and implement death sentences to declare and implement a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. 45. States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to its Second Optional Protocol that have legally abolished the death penalty have an international legal obligation not to reintroduce it. Where a long de jure or de facto moratorium on use of the death penalty has been observed, resuming its use could be contrary to the object and purpose of article 6 of the Covenant. The SecretaryGeneral calls upon all States to fully respect these obligations under international human rights law. 46. States parties to the Covenant that have not yet abolished the death penalty may only impose it for the “most serious crimes”. The Human Rights Committee has expressed the view that this means crimes of particular gravity involving intentional killing. States should remove from national laws any application of the death penalty to crimes not involving intentional killing, such as drug-related offences or terrorismrelated crimes not involving intentional killing. The death penalty should especially not be imposed as a sanction for forms of non-violent conduct such as apostasy, blasphemy, adultery and consensual same-sex relations. 47. There is little evidence that the death penalty has an impact on reducing levels of crime, so resumption of use of the death penalty is inconsistent with the aim of crime reduction. Transparent and accurate information is vital to policymakers, civil society and the general public to enable informed debate on the death penalty and its impact. The Secretary-General urges all leaders to exercise caution in rhetoric around the death penalty, recalling that targeting certain categories of offence or individuals may also have a chilling effect on the peaceful exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms. 14