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3.
The Declaration
was,
however,
simply a set of
guidelines, and imposed no obligation to put the principles
it described into practice. In 1966, therefore, two human
rights treaties, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) were adopted
by the United Nations. The Covenants set out the basic
human rights and fundamental
obligation on all States which
freedoms, and imposed an
became parties to them to
The
implement those rights by all appropriate means.
Covenants came into force in 1976. In the same year the
Government of the United Kingdom ratified the Covenants in
respect of the United Kingdom and dependent territories,
including Hong Kong.
4.
In 1984 the British and Chinese Governments agreed
that the Covenants should continue to be applied to Hong
Kong after 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration states
that 'the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to
to Hong
Kong shall remain in force'. This provision is reflected
in Article 39 of the draft Basic Law.
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