The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area–Background Paper 2018 7. Calls upon States that have not yet done so to consider acceding to or ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty;7 8. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session on the implementation of the present resolution; […] United Nations General Assembly Resolution 71/187: Moratorium on the use of the death penalty (2016) […] 1. Reaffirms the sovereign right of all countries to develop their own legal systems, including determining appropriate legal penalties, in accordance with their international law obligations; 2. Expresses its deep concern about the continued application of the death penalty; 3. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 69/1866 and the recommendations contained therein; 4. Also welcomes the steps taken by some States to reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed, as well as steps taken to limit its application; 5. Further welcomes initiatives and political leadership encouraging national discussions and debates on the possibility of moving away from capital punishment through domestic decision-making; 6. Welcomes the decisions made by an increasing number of States from all regions, at all levels of government, to apply a moratorium on executions, followed in many cases by the abolition of the death penalty; 7. Calls upon all States: (a) To respect international standards that provide safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, in particular the minimum standards, as set out in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1984/50 of 25 May 1984, as well as to provide the SecretaryGeneral with information in this regard; 7  United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 596, No. 8638 55