Background

In its resolution 77/222 on a “Moratorium on the use of the death penalty” adopted on 15 December 2022, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to report at its seventy-ninth session on the implementation of the resolution.

The Secretary-General’s report will be presented to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session in September 2024.

Objectives

The report aims to provide an update on developments since 15 December 2022 on the question of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and other issues included in resolution 75/183 of the General Assembly, such as the provision of safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, including the right to apply for pardon or commutation; information, disaggregated by sex, age, nationality and race, and other applicable criteria, with regard to the use of the death penalty (e.g. the number of persons sentenced to death, the number of persons on death row and the number of executions carried out, the number of death sentences reversed or commuted on appeal or in which amnesty or pardon has been granted, and information on any scheduled execution); restrictions on the use of the death penalty; the reduction of the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed; the establishment of a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty; and experiences of States that have adopted a moratorium on the use of the death penalty or that have abolished it.

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

OHCHR would be grateful to receive relevant information (maximum 1,500 words) covering developments since 15 December 2022 on the question of the moratorium on the use of the death penalty and other issues as included in resolution 75/183, to enable the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session.

How inputs will be used

Unless requested otherwise, all contributions are made available in full and as received on this webpage.