Major lobbying effort underway to reverse UN vote OK'ing killing of LGBT

Image by European Parliament via Flickr   

By Paul Canning

Various international bodies have joined the American initiative to reverse last month's UN vote to remove sexual orientation from a resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Arc International has singled out the following countries for lobbying:

Latin American and Caribbean: Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname.

Africa: States which might be approached for support include South Africa, as well as the six African States that endorsed the UN joint statement on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity: Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Central African Republic, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Sao Tome & Principe.

Other States might be encouraged to abstain or refrain from voting, rather than opposing human rights, eg: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, United Republic of Tanzania.

Asia/Pacific: Fiji, Kazakhstan, Nauru, Palau, Philippines, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Japan, South Korea, India, Nepal, Timor-Leste

Central/Eastern Europe: Albania, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkey

The vote will take place 20 December. Arc have called for people to urge their government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support the text of the resolution calling on states to protect lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people from unlawful killings. They note that it is "also useful to send a copy of any message to the ambassador of your country in New York."

Arc's historical note containing more information on this resolution follows "and you can share it with your government."

They say:

You better know your country. Feel free to adapt these data to the context of your country or region, while maintaining a constructive approach.

It's a good idea to ask a specific answer to your query. If time permits, you can request an urgent meeting to discuss the matter further.

If your government has failed on the inclusion of sexual orientation was the last time, encourage them to support the reference Monday. If your government objected to the reference, encourage them to support the model - or at least to refrain from or avoid voting against human rights. If your government has supported the reference, encourage them to vote accordingly on Monday and ask them to urge other states to vote in favor of inclusion.

Arc have also provided a record of votes on the amendment last month, "so you can see if your government has supported the reference to sexual orientation, opposed, abstained or has not voted (DNV)."

You can keep Arc informed of the response of your government by emailing coordination@arc-international.net

Resolution on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions: Some points to consider