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PROCLAMATION OF TEHRAN
The Committee on the International Year for Human Rights held a series of
meetings in March 1965 and, in its lengthy discussions, paid a great deal of attention to
the possibility of holding an international conference on human rights. The Committee,
following the submission of a joint draft resolution by Costa Rica, Jamaica and the
Philippines (E/CN.4/L.769), recommended that the Commission on Human Rights
invite the General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, to convene an
international conference on human rights during 1968 (see Report of the Committee,
E/CN.4/886). At its twenty-first session, on 13 April 1965, the Commission on Human
Rights adopted resolution 5 A (XXI), based, in substance, on that proposal (see Report
of the Commission on the work of its twenty-first session, E/4024). On 28 July 1965,
following the proposal of the Commission on Human Rights, the Economic and Social
Council adopted resolution 1074 E (XXXIX) by which it recommended the General
Assembly to convene an international conference on human rights during 1968 and
requested the Commission on Human Rights, inter alia, to elaborate for its
consideration the agenda of that conference (see Report of the Social Committee to the
Economic and Social Council, E/4100).
During the debate in the Third Committee, two joint draft resolutions
(A/C.3/L.1425 and A/C.3/L.1435) which took note of the first progress report were
submitted. These draft resolutions proposed in their operative parts that: (i) the
Conference be held in Tehran during 1968; (ii) the membership of the Preparatory
Committee be enlarged to 23 Member States; and (iii) the duly enlarged Preparatory
Committee be requested to continue its work, taking into account such observations as
it may receive from the Commission on Human Rights and from the Commission on
the Status of Women, and to report further on the progress of the preparation of the
Conference to the General Assembly at its twenty-second session. On 17 December
1966, in its report to the General Assembly (A/6619), the Third Committee
recommended that the Assembly adopt a resolution based, in substance, on that
proposal. On 19 December 1966, the General Assembly adopted resolutions 2217 C
and D (XXI) to this effect.
On 23 September 1967, the Assembly again allocated the matter to its Third
Committee as part of the ongoing item of its agenda entitled “International Year for
Human Rights” which related to the report of the Preparatory Committee (A/PV.1564).
During the debate in the Third Committee, two joint draft resolutions were submitted
(A/C.3/L.1501 and A/C.3/L.1501/Rev.1) which approved, in substance, the report of
the Preparatory Committee, and accordingly proposed to take note of the provisional
agenda for the International Conference on Human Rights elaborated by that body. On
16 December 1967, in its report to the General Assembly (A/7008), the Third
Committee recommended that the Assembly adopt a resolution based on that proposal.
On 18 December 1967, the General Assembly adopted resolution 2339 (XXII) to this
effect and requested the Secretary-General to make certain practical arrangements
related to the convening of the Conference.