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and Social Council, that it is desirable to define the rights set forth in the Covenant and the limitations thereto with the greatest possible precision;

C.

5. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to study a federal State article and to prepare, for the consideration of the General Assembly at its sixth session, recommendations which will have as their purpose the securing of the maximum extension of the Covenant to the constituent units of federal states, and the meeting of the constitutional problems of federal states;

D.

6. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to study ways and means which would ensure the right of peoples and nations to self-determination, and to prepare recommendations for consideration by the General Assembly at its sixth session;

E.

WHEREAS the Covenant should be drawn up in the spirit and based on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

WHEREAS the Universal Declaration regards man as a person, to whom civic and political freedoms as well as economic, social and cultural rights indubitably belong,

WHEREAS the enjoyment of civic and political freedoms and of economic, social and cultural rights are interconnected and interdependent,

WHEREAS, when deprived of economic, social and cultural rights, man does not represent the human person whom the Universal Declaration regards as the ideal of the free man,

7. (a) Decides to include in the Covenant economic, social and cultural rights and an explicit recognition of equality of men and women in related rights, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations;

(b) Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights, in accordance with the spirit of the Universal Declaration to include in the draft Covenant a clear expression of economic, social and cultural rights in a manner which relates them to the civic and political freedoms proclaimed by the draft Covenant;

(c) Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to take such steps as are necessary to obtain the co-operation of other organs of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies in the consideration of such rights;

(d) Requests the Economic and Social Council to consider, at its twelfth session, the methods by which the specialized agencies might co-operate with the Commission on Human Rights with regard to economic, social and cultural rights;

F.

8. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to proceed with the consideration of provisions, to be inserted in the draft Covenant or in separate protocols, for the receipt and examination of petitions from individuals and organizations with respect to alleged violations of the Covenant; and to take into consideration in its studies of questions relating to petitions and implementation the proposals presented by Chile

(A/C.3/L.81), Ethiopia and France (A/C.3/L.78), Israel (A/C.3/L.91/Rev.1 and A/C.3/L.91/Rev.1/Corr.1) and Uruguay (A/C.3/L.93);

G.

9. Calls upon the Economic and Social Council to request the Commission on Human Rights to report to the Economic and Social Council at its thirteenth session concerning the above matters;

H.

10. Requests the Secretary-General to invite Member States to submit by 15 February 1951, their views concerning the draft Covenant as revised by the Commission on Human Rights at its sixth session, in order that the Commission may have such views before it during its further consideration of the draft Covenant at its seventh session.

2. Territorial Application of the International Covenant on Human Rights

The General Assembly

Requests the Commission on Human Rights to include the following article in the International Covenant on Human Rights:

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"The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to or be applicable equally to a signatory metropolitan State and to all the territories, be they Non-SelfGoverning, Trust, or Colonial Territories, which are being administered or governed by such metropolitan State".

3. Human Rights Day

The General Assembly,

CONSIDERING that on 10 December 1948 the General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations,

CONSIDERING that the Declaration marks a distinct forward step in the march of human progress,

CONSIDERING that the anniversary of this event should be appropriately cele brated in all countries as part of a common effort to bring the Declaration to the attention of the peoples of the world,

EXPRESSING ITS APPRECIATION to all those countries Members or non-members of the United Nations which have already celebrated this anniversary,

1. Invites all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day, to observe this day to celebrate the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly of 10 December 1948, and to exert increasing efforts in this field of human progress; 2. Invites all States to report annually through the Secretary-General concerning the observance of Human Rights Day.

R. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

[These resolutions on freedom of information were adopted by the Assembly on December 14, 1950. The first adopts the declaration of the Economic and Social Council to the effect that deliberate interference with radio signals constitutes a violation of the accepted principles of freedom of information; condemns measures of this nature as a denial of the right of all persons to be fully informed; invites governments of member states to refrain from such interference; invites all governments to refrain from radio broadcasts that would mean unfair attacks or slanders against other peoples and to conform to ethical conduct in the interest of world peace by reporting facts truly and objectively; and invites member states to give every possible facility so that their peoples may know objectively the United Nations activities in promoting peace and, in particular, to facilitate reception and transmission of United Nations official broadcasts. This resolution was adopted by 49 votes to 5, with no abstentions.

The second resolution recommends to all member states that, when they are compelled to declare a state of emergency, measures to limit freedom of information and of the press shall be taken only in exceptional circumstances and only to the extent strictly required. It was adopted by 41 votes to 5, with 2 abstentions.

The final resolution appoints a 15-nation committee to prepare a draft convention on freedom of information and to report to the Economic and Social Council at its thirteenth session, submitting recommendations, especially on the advisability of convening a plenipotentiary conference to sign a convention. The SecretaryGeneral is requested to submit the Committee's report to governments, which are invited to transmit suggestions and observations by June 15, 1951. The resolution concludes with a recommendation to the Economic and Social Council to consider the Committee's report at its thirteenth session and, if it thinks fit, to convene a conference of plenipotentiaries to meet as soon as possible and not later than February 1, 1952, with a view to framing and signature of a freedom-of-information convention based on the draft or drafts prepared by the Committee and on observations of governments. This resolution was adopted by 44 votes to 0, with 12 abstentions.]

1. Interference With Radio Signals

The General Assembly,

WHEREAS freedom to listen to radio broadcasts regardless of source is embodied in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression" and whereas this right "includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers",

WHEREAS article 44 of the International Telecommunication Convention, Atlantic City, 1947, provides that "All stations, whatever their purpose, must be established and operated in such a manner as not to result in harmful interference to the radio service or communications of other members or associate members... [and that] Each member or associate member undertakes to require the private operating agencies which it recognizes and the other operating agencies duly authorized for this purpose, to observe the provisions of the preceding paragraph",

CONSIDERING that the duly authorized radio operating agencies in some countries are deliberately interfering with the reception by the people of those countries of certain radio signals originating beyond their territories, and bearing in mind the discussion which took place in the Economic and Social Council and in the Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and of the Press on this subject,

CONSIDERING that peace among nations rests on the good will of all peoples and Governments and that tolerance and understanding are prerequisites for establishing goodwill in the international field,

1. Adopts the declaration of the Economic and Social Council contained in its resolution 306 B (XI) of 9 August 1950 to the effect that this type of interference constitutes a violation of the accepted principles of freedom of information;

2. Condemns measures of this nature as a denial of the right of all persons to be fully informed concerning news, opinions and ideas regardless of frontiers; 3. Invites the Governments of all Member States to refrain from such interference with the right of their peoples to freedom of information;

4. Invites all Governments to refrain from radio broadcasts that would mean unfair attacks or slanders against other peoples anywhere and in so doing to conform strictly to an ethical conduct in the interest of world peace by reporting facts truly and objectively;

5. Invites also Member States to give every possible facility so that their peoples may know objectively the activities of the United Nations in promoting peace and, in particular, to facilitate the reception and transmission of the United Nations official broadcasts.

2. Question of Freedom of Information and of the Press in Times of Emergency

The General Assembly,

CONSIDERING that freedom of information and of the Press is one of the fundamental freedoms and should be advanced and safeguarded,

CONSIDERING that limitations might be placed on this freedom in emergencies or on the pretext of emergencies,

Recommends to all Member States that, when they are compelled to declare a state of emergency, measures to limit freedom of information and of the Press shall be taken only in the most exceptional circumstances and then only to the extent strictly required by the situation.

3. Draft Convention

The General Assembly,

RECALLING its resolution 313 (IV) of 20 October 1949, the recommendation of the sixth session of the Commission on Human Rights regarding freedom of information and the discussion concerning that recommendation at the eleventh session of the Economic and Social Council,

CONSIDERING that freedom of information and the Purposes of the United Nations are indivisible,

1. Appoints a Committee consisting of the representatives of the following fifteen countries: Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, France, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Yugoslavia, which shall meet at the Headquarters of the United Nations as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 1951, to prepare a draft convention on freedom of information, taking into consideration the draft approved by the United Nations Conference on Freedom of Information held at Geneva from 23 March to 21 April 1948; the text voted during the second part of the third session of the General Assembly; Article 14 of the provisional text of the draft First International Covenant on Human Rights; and the observations contained in the summary records of the meetings of the Third Committee dealing with the question;

2. Requests the Committee to report to the Economic and Social Council at its thirteenth session on the results of its work and to submit recommendations, in particular, with regard to the advisability of convening a conference of plenipotentiaries with a view to the framing and signature of a convention on freedom of information;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to submit the Committee's report, together with the draft or drafts of the convention prepared by the Committee, to the various Governments concerned for their consideration;

4. Invites the Governments so consulted to transmit their suggestions and observations to the Secretary-General by 15 June 1951;

5. Recommends the Economic and Social Council to consider the Committee's report at its thirteenth session and if it thinks fit, in the light of the Committee's recommendations and the observations of Governments, and also taking into consideration the General Assembly's wish that one or more conventions to ensure freedom of information in the world should be adopted as soon as possible, to convene a conference of plenipotentiaries to meet as soon as possible and not later than 1 February 1952, with a view to the framing and signature of a convention on freedom of information, based on the draft or drafts prepared by the above-mentioned Committee and on the observations of Governments.

S. MEASURES FOR THE PEACEFUL
SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM
PRISONERS OF WAR

OF

[This resolution expresses the Assembly's concern at the information presented tending to show that large numbers of prisoners taken in the course of the Second World War have been neither repatriated nor otherwise accounted for; and calls upon all governments still having control of such persons to act in accordance with recognized standards of international conduct and various international agreements requiring that, upon cessation of hostilities, all prisoners should with the least possible delay be given an unrestricted opportunity of repatriation, and to that end to publish and transmit to the Secretary-General before April 30, 1951, the names of prisoners still held, the reasons for their continued detention and where they are detained, and the names of prisoners who have died, together with date and cause of death, and manner and place of burial. The Secretary-General is requested to

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