IO Files: US/A/C.3/266

United States Delegation Working Paper

confidential

Draft Resolution 1

Future Work of Commission on Human Rights

The General Assembly

Appreciating the priority which, in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 217 (III), the Commission on Human Rights during its 1949 and 1950 sessions gave to the preparation of a draft International Covenant on Human Rights and measures for its implementation.

Having considered the draft Covenant prepared by the Commission on Human Rights, particularly with reference to basic policies,

1.
Commends the Commission on Human Rights for the important work it has thus far accomplished;
2.
Calls upon the Commission on Human Rights
A.
To continue to give priority in its work to the completion of the draft International Covenant on Human Rights and measures for its implementation in order that the General Assembly may at its sixth session have before it for final approval the draft of this Covenant;
B.
To take into consideration in its work of revision of the draft Covenant, the views expressed during the discussion of the draft Covenant in this session of the General Assembly;
C.
To draft a federal state article for the consideration of the General Assembly at its sixth session;
D.
To draft a territories article for the consideration of the General Assembly at its sixth meeting;
E.
To proceed with the consideration of additional instruments and measures dealing with economic, social, cultural, political [Page 520] and other human rights not included in the International Covenant on Human Rights in accordance with Resolution B adopted by the Commission on Human Rights at the 186th meeting of its sixth session and approved by the Economic and Social Council at its eleventh session;
F.
To take suck additional steps as are necessary to obtain the collaboration of other organs of the United Nations and the Specialized Agencies to assist the Commission on Human Rights to obtain necessary information with respect to the economic, social, and cultural rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in accordance with the resolution adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its eleventh session; and
G.
To proceed with the consideration of separate protocols for the receipt and examination of petitions from individuals and organizations with respect to alleged violations of the International Covenant on Human Rights.
3.
Requests the Secretary-General to invite Member States to submit their views by March 1, 1951 relating to the draft International Covenant on Human Rights as revised by the Commission on Human Rights at its sixth session, in order that the Commission may have such views in its further consideration of the draft Covenant at its seventh session.
  1. This draft resolution was the sole item on the agenda for the 22nd meeting of the United States Delegation on October 17. Though the meeting was of great length, there was little said about basic policy objectives that was new, and the minutes are not printed. Discussion tended to center again on the question of the need to include a federal-state clause, in light of the Senate’s apparent coolness towards the Genocide Convention and its insistence earlier in including a federal-state clause in the matter of the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS). (IO Files, Doc. US/A/M (Chr)/157)

    On October 26 the three Delegation advisers chiefly concerned with the matter, Messrs. Simsarian, Pierrot, and Green, handed copies of the draft resolution to the Third Committee representatives of 24 countries. A second, slightly revised draft was circulated the following day, October 27. (IO Files, Doc. US/A/C.3/292 and Doc. US/A/C.3/295) Concurrently, the United States Delegation undertook to secure the support of certain states as cosponsors of the resolution (reference documents cited immediately above); and on November 1 it was submitted to the Secretariat for transmission to the Third Committee as a joint draft resolution sponsored by Brazil, Turkey, and the United States. For text, see GA (V), Annexes, vol. ii, agenda item 63, p. 11.