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26 March 2001




Message of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary
of the entry into force of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights



Twenty-five years ago the two Covenants that codified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into legally binding treaties entered into force: The Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on 3 January 1976 and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 23 March 1976.

We celebrate the many successes achieved by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and by the Human Rights Committee, and renew our commitment to continued monitoring and follow-up, to enhanced technical assistance and advisory services in order to strengthen national human rights institutions and make the rights enshrined in the Covenants a reality for all humanity.

I take this opportunity to recall the Millennium Assembly and to urge all States that have not yet become parties to the Covenants to respond positively to the Secretary General’s appeal for universal ratification.

I also urge all States parties to the Covenants to take their treaty responsibilities very seriously and to consider themselves collectively responsible for the implementation of the Covenants in all States parties.



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