A/73/227
B.
Recommendations
73. To protect and defend the universality of human rights and the universal
human rights framework, the Special Rapporteur calls on States, international
organizations, civil society organizations, experts and individuals to:
(a) Reaffirm the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all
human rights and their commitment to the vision of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights;
(b) Respect and promote cultural rights for all without discrimination;
ensure and promote adequate human rights education emphasizing universality
and non-discrimination, including through the arts, culture and a wide range of
media;
(c) Ensure that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and material
about its history are made accessible, including on the Internet and in more
indigenous and local languages.
74.
In this regard, the Special Rapporteur calls on States to:
(a) Continue to engage with and support human rights mechanisms at the
international, regional and national levels, including through adequate funding,
so that they can uphold universal human rights for all;
(b) Ratify the two international covenants on human rights and their
optional protocols and implement them fully in national law and practice;
(c) Remove all reservations to human rights treaties, in particular to the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
that are contrary to the object and purpose of the treaty and that undermine
universality;
(d) Adopt measures to safeguard and support human rights defenders
advocating for universal human rights, in line with the Declaration on Human
Rights Defenders (General Assembly resolution 53/144, annex).
75. In order to effectively challenge cultural relativism, the Special Rapporteur
calls on States to:
(a) Review laws and legal norms that discriminate against anyone on the
basis of cultural or religious arguments, and take the steps necessary to bring
them into line with universal human rights standards;
(b) Refrain from using culture, cultural rights or tradition to justify
violations of international human rights and ensure that no representative of the
State does so in national or international forums; continuously maintain and
promote the idea that culture, cultural rights and the exercise of cultural
diversity are grounded in and subject to the universal human rights framework
and international standards.
76. All relevant bodies, including States, international and civil society
organizations, experts, academics and individuals should:
(a) Challenge, whenever necessary, intolerant ideologies, including
fundamentalist and populist ideologies, that incite or result in discrimination
against any person or group or the violation or denial of any universal human
rights;
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