GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 57/199 ON THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT OF 18 DECEMBER 2002 6 – GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 57/199 ON THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT OF 18 DECEMBER 2002 The General Assembly Recalling article 5 of the Universal Declaration of 58 Human Rights, article 7 of the International 59 Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, 60 Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 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, 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 61 2002/33 of 22 April 2002 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, 58 Resolution 217 A (III) Cf. Resolution 2200 A (XXI), Annex 60 Resolution 3452 (XXX), Annex 61 Cf. Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2002, Supplement No. 3 (E/2002/23), Ch. II, Part A 59 1. Adopts the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and 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 signature, ratification and accession at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 1 January 2003; 2. Calls upon all States that have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to sign and ratify or accede to the Optional Protocol. 77th plenary meeting 18 December 2002 Annex Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Preamble The States Parties to the present Protocol, Reaffirming that torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are prohibited and constitute serious violations of human rights, Convinced that further measures are necessary to achieve the purposes of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereinafter referred to as the Convention) and to strengthen the protection of persons deprived of their liberty against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Recalling that articles 2 and 16 of the Convention oblige each State Part to take effective measures to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or 102