The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area–Background Paper 2018 United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 26/2: The question of the death penalty (25 June 2014) The Human Rights Council, […] Taking note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the question of the death penalty, the latest of which1 highlighted the significant developments towards the universal abolition of the death penalty and some noticeable steps towards restricting its use in countries that have retained it, and reminded those States that still intend to implement the death penalty of the need to protect the rights of those facing the death penalty and to ensure that it is not imposed for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age, in particular in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Mindful of the work of special procedure mandate holders who have addressed human rights issues related to the death penalty, including the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, […] Strongly deploring the fact that the use of the death penalty leads to violations of the human rights of those facing the death penalty and of other affected persons, Acknowledging the interest in studying the question of the death penalty, as well as in holding national and international debates related thereto, 1. Urges States that have not yet abolished the death penalty to protect the rights of those facing the death penalty and to ensure that the death penalty is not imposed for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age, in particular in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child; 2. Calls upon States that have not yet acceded to or ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aiming at the abolition of the death penalty to consider doing so; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to dedicate the 2015 supplement to his quinquennial report on capital punishment to the consequences arising at various 68