UNITED NATIONS, Nov 17: The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, dealing with Social and humanitarian issues, on Thursday adopted by consensus a Pakistan-sponsored draft resolution on the Universal Realisation of the Right of Peoples to Self-determination.

The resolution has consistently been adopted by the General Assembly since 1981.

Besides Pakistan, a large number of countries from Asia and Africa co-sponsored the resolution this year. These countries include Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, China, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Singapore, Somalia, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.

The resolution reaffirms the universal right of people to self-determination as enshrined in the UN charter and international covenants on human rights.

It welcomes the progressive exercise of this right by peoples under colonial, foreign or alien occupation and their emergence into sovereign statehood and independence. The resolution calls upon the responsible states to cease immediately their military intervention in and occupation of foreign countries and territories and all acts of repression, discrimination, exploitation and maltreatment, in particular the brutal and inhuman methods reportedly employed for the execution of those acts against the peoples concerned.

The resolution requests the Human Rights Council to continue to give special attention to the violation of human rights, especially the right to self-determination, resulting from foreign military intervention, aggression or occupation.