Resolution adopted by the General Assembly  [without reference to a Main Committee (A/57/L.23/Rev.1 and Add.1)]     57/156. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council  of Europe        The General Assembly,    Recalling the Agreement between the Council of Europe and the Secretariat of  the United Nations signed on 15 December 1951 and the Arrangement on  Cooperation and Liaison between the secretariats of the United Nations and the  Council of Europe of 19 November 1971,    Acknowledging the contribution of the Council of Europe to the protection and  strengthening of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the  protection of national minorities, and the rule of law on the European continent,  including its activities against racism and intolerance, the promotion of gender  equality, social development and a common cultural heritage,    Acknowledging also that, with its significant expertise in the field of human  rights, democratic institutions and the rule of law, the Council of Europe is  contributing to conflict prevention, confidence-building and long-term post-conflict  peace-building through political, legal and institutional reform,    Stressing the importance of adherence to the standards and principles of the  Council of Europe and its contribution to the solution of conflicts throughout the  whole of Europe,    Acknowledging the contribution of the Council of Europe to the development  of international law, inter alia, international criminal law,    Noting the increasing openness of the Council of Europe, through its legal  instruments, to the participation of States of other regions,     1.  Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General;1    2.  Reiterates its appreciation for the ongoing fruitful cooperation and  coordination between the United Nations and its agencies and the Council of  Europe, both at the level of headquarters and in the field;  _______________  1 A/57/225.   A/RES/57/156  2    3.  Welcomes the further development of close cooperation between the  Council of Europe, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human  Rights, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the  United Nations Children’s Fund and the Economic Commission for Europe;    4.  Notes the role the Council of Europe has played in facilitating the entry  into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court2 and the readiness  of the Council to provide its member States with the appropriate assistance with a  view to them becoming parties to and implementing the Rome Statute;    5.  Expresses its appreciation for the contribution of the Council of Europe  to the implementation of the Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference  against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in  Durban, South Africa, from 31 August to 8 September 2001,3 including the follow- up action taken by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance;    6.  Notes the opening for signature on 3 May 2002 in Vilnius of Protocol  No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental  Freedoms,4 concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances;    7.  Expresses its appreciation for the substantial contribution of the Council  of Europe to the special session of the General Assembly on children, held from 8 to  10 May 2002, and notes the adoption by the Council of the European Convention on  the Exercise of Children’s Rights,5 which entered into force in 2000;    8.  Also expresses its appreciation for the contributions of the Council of  Europe to the International Conference on Financing for Development, held in  Monterrey, Mexico, from 18 to 22 March 2002, and particularly to its follow-up  process, through activities involving Governments, parliamentarians, local and  regional authorities and civil society organizations, aimed at turning the  commitments made at the Conference into specific actions;    9.  Further expresses its appreciation for the substantial contribution of the  Council of Europe to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in  Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002, as well as its  contributions to the follow-up work, for example, concerning education for  sustainable development, carried out by its North-South Centre;    10. Commends strongly the contribution of the Council of Europe to  international action against terrorism, welcomes the work of the Council’s  Multidisciplinary Group on International Action against Terrorism aimed, inter alia,  at strengthening legal cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and in this context  welcomes the approval on 7 November 2002 by the Committee of Ministers at its  one hundred and eleventh session of the content of the draft protocol amending the  European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism6 which was opened for  signature in 1977;  _______________  2 Official Records of the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment  of an International Criminal Court, Rome, 15 June–17 July 1998, vol. I: Final documents (United Nations  publication, Sales No. E.02.I.5), sect. A.  3 See A/CONF.189/12 and Corr.1, chap. I.  4 Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments, vol. II: Regional Instruments (United Nations  publication, Sales No. E.97.XIV.1), sect. B, No. 8.  5 Ibid., sect. B, No. 35.  6 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1137, No. 17828.   A/RES/57/156  3    11.  Welcomes the assessment made by the Committee of Ministers at its one  hundred and eleventh session on each of the three cornerstones it had defined in  2001 for the contribution of the Council of Europe to United Nations-led  international action against terrorism, namely intensifying legal cooperation to  combat terrorism, safeguarding fundamental values and investing in democracy;    12. Commends the Council of Europe for its contribution to the  implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001,  and takes note in this context of the Council of Europe’s Guidelines on Human  Rights and the Fight against Terrorism, adopted by its Committee of Ministers on  11 July 20027 and referred to in the addendum to the report of the Secretary-General  on measures to eliminate international terrorism;8    13. Welcomes the accession to the Council of Europe of Bosnia and  Herzegovina on 24 April 2002, and expresses its appreciation for the cooperation  and assistance the Council extends to this country in order to facilitate its  compliance with Council standards of democracy, human rights and the rule of law;    14. Takes note of Opinion No. 239 adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly  of the Council of Europe on 24 September 2002, in which the Assembly  recommended that the Committee of Ministers, on the basis of a series of  commitments accepted by the highest Yugoslav authorities, invite the Federal  Republic of Yugoslavia to become a member of the Council as soon as the  constitutional Charter had been adopted by the Parliaments of Serbia and  Montenegro;    15. Notes that the Ministers of the forty-four member States, at the one  hundred and eleventh session, reiterated their common will to see the Federal  Republic of Yugoslavia become a member of the Council of Europe, while at the  same time regretting that circumstances at present did not yet permit the adoption of  an official invitation to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to join the Council;    16. Welcomes the ongoing participation of the Council of Europe in the  implementation of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) of 10 June 1999 and its  cooperation with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, and  commends the role of the Council of Europe in the development of democratic  institutions, inter alia, in respect of the decentralization process, human rights  protection and the rule of law in accordance with the standards of the Council of  Europe;    17. Commends the role of the Council of Europe with regard to the electoral  process in Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in preparation for the municipal  elections which were held on 26 October 2002;    18. Welcomes the substantial contribution of the Council of Europe to the  Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, in particular in the fields of  democratization, local democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as well as  cross-border cooperation and the fight against corruption, organized crime and  money-laundering;    19. Commends the wide-ranging efforts of the Council of Europe to foster  peace and stability in South-Eastern Europe;  _______________  7 A/57/313, annex I.  8 A/57/183/Add.1.   A/RES/57/156  4    20. Welcomes the Vilnius Declaration on Regional Cooperation and the  Consolidation of Democratic Stability in Greater Europe, adopted by the Committee  of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 3 May 2002,9 and the efforts of the  Council to promote cooperation among the regional organizations, initiatives and  processes in Europe and between them and the United Nations and other  international organizations;    21. Commends the work of the Council of Europe in relation to the  protection of national minorities, in particular the monitoring by the Committee of  Ministers of the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of  National Minorities;10    22. Reiterates its appreciation for the active role of the Council of Europe in  the tripartite meetings between the United Nations, the Organization for Security  and Cooperation in Europe and the Council;    23. Requests the Secretary-General to continue exploring, with the Secretary- General of the Council of Europe, possibilities for further enhancement of  cooperation, information exchange and coordination between the United Nations  and the Council;    24. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-ninth session the  sub-item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of  Europe”, and requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at  its fifty-ninth session a report on cooperation between the United Nations and the  Council of Europe in implementation of the present resolution.    75th plenary meeting  16 December 2002  _______________  9 See A/56/942, annex II.  10 Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments, vol. II: Regional Instruments (United  Nations publication, Sales No. E.97.XIV.1), sect. B, No. 34.