Last week was historical for the LGBTI movement in relation to the UN. The organization’s Human Rights Council voted in favour of a resolution condemning violence against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
In a defining vote, 23 in favour, 18 against and 6 abstentions, the Council mandated the appointment of an Independent Expert on the subject whose role will be to assess the implementation of existing international human rights instruments regarding LGBT people. The expert will also identify best practices and gaps, raise awareness on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, engage in dialogu and consultations with states and other stakeholders and facilitate provision of advisory services, technical assistance, capacity building and cooperation to help address violence and discrimination on those grounds.
The resolution builds upon two previous resolutions, adopted by the Council in 2011 and 2014.
The vote was a response to a joint campaign of 628 non-governmental organizations from 151 countries calling on the Council to adopt the resolution and create a SOGI independent Expert. 70% of these organizations were from the global south.
Although a number of hostile amendments seeking to introduce notions of cultural relativism were adopted into the text by vote, the core of the resolution affirming the universal nature of international human rights law stood firm.
From the ERA region, two countries which are members of the Human Rights Council, Albania and Macedonia, voted in favour of the resolution.
Results of the vote:
Voting in favour of the resolution:
Albania, Belgium, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Macedonia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, UK, Venezuela, Viet Nam.
Voting against the resolution:
Algeria, Bangladesh, Burundi, China, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Morocco, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Togo, United Arab Emirates.
Abstaining on the resolution
Botswana, Ghana, India, Namibia, Philippines, South Africa.
Sources:
– http://arc-international.net/global-advocacy/human-rights-council/32nd-session-of-the-human-rights-council/united-nations-makes-history-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-un-human-rights-body-establishes-an-independent-expert/
– http://www.lgbt-ep.eu/press-releases/un-human-rights-council-adopts-resolution-supporting-lgbt-rights/