Publication: International Standards on Conscientious Objection to Military Service

Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) released the updated edition of “International Standards on Conscientious Objection to Military Service”. The booklet, focusing on the United Nations (UN) system, includes information on the ways in which conscientious objection to military service has been recognised and is protected under human rights treaties and mechanisms.

Download the English edition of the booklet here. The booklet is also available in Spanish, French and Russian.

The issue of conscientious objection to military service has been addressed within the UN human rights system in a number of ways. Both the Human Rights Committee and the UN Human Rights Council have recognised the right of conscientious objection to military service as part of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion enshrined in Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. QUNO’s booklet lays out the ways in which the right to conscientious objection to military service has been considered and recognised within the UN system.

The updated edition, which followed the previous edition in 2015, covers developments in international standards that have occurred since 2015.

You can read or download the booklet in English here. See attachment for the Spanish, French and Russian versions.