United Nations General Assembly A/RES/57/199 Distr.: General 9 January 2003 Fifty-seventh session Agenda item 109 (a) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly [on the report of the Third Committee (A/57/556/Add.1)] 57/199. Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment The General Assembly, Recalling article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1 article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 2 the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 3 and its resolution 39/46 of 10 December 1984, by which it adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and all its subsequent relevant resolutions, Reaffirming that freedom from torture is a right that must be protected under all circumstances, Considering that the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, firmly declared that efforts to eradicate torture should first and foremost be concentrated on prevention and called for the early adoption of an optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, intended to establish a preventive system of regular visits to places of detention, Welcoming the adoption of the draft optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 2002/33 of 22 April 2002 4 and by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 2002/27 of 24 July 2002, in which the Council recommended to the General Assembly the adoption of the draft optional protocol, Adopts the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and 1. Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment contained in the annex to the present resolution, and requests the Secretary-General to open it for _______________ 1 Resolution 217 A (III). See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex. 3 Resolution 3452 (XXX), annex. 4 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2002, Supplement No. 3 (E/2002/23), chap. II, sect. A. 2 02 55148