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Contact your Government and/or media regarding yesterday's vote at the UN
This media release was issued by ARC International on 22.12.10
What’s new?
- While we celebrate the amazing victory yesterday to restore sexual orientation to the UN resolution on extrajudicial executions, there are two more things to do before we all relax for the holidays:
1) Please contact your government to express appreciation if they supported the amendment to include "sexual orientation" in the resolution, or to express concern if they did not.
2) Please also consider issuing a Press Release or writing a letter to the Editor about your government's position.
What happened?
- Yesterday, on 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority to adopt an amendment to the executions resolution condemning killings based on sexual orientation and urging States to "ensure the effective protection of the right to life of all persons under their jurisdiction and to investigate promptly and thoroughly all killings, including killings of persons ... because of their sexual orientation".
- 93 States voted to include sexual orientation in the resolution. This represents the largest ever degree of support at the UN for including sexual orientation in the resolution (up from 78 in 2008). 55 States opposed, and 27 abstained, while 17 were absent or did not vote.
- States supporting sexual orientation inclusion represented every region of the globe: from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and the West. This is a powerful indicator of increased understanding and support for sexual orientation issues in diverse countries worldwide.
- This tremendous outcome was the direct result of sustained lobbying by dedicated activists around the world.
What now?
- Please contact your government to thank them for their support if they voted in favour of sexual orientation; express concern and ask for reasons or a follow-up meeting if they did not. Indicate you look forward to working with them to build upon yesterday's result, and to also ensure protection in the resolution in future against killings based on gender identity.
- You may also wish to issue a press statement about your government's position, or write a letter to the Editor of your local paper.
Why is it important?
- If your government supported sexual orientation inclusion, it is important that they know that their efforts were noticed and appreciated. If they did not support inclusion, it is important that they know that activists in their country are paying attention, and that they are challenged for not being supportive. Media attention is also helpful in raising awareness of these important issues.
- Advancing respect world-wide for the human rights of LGBTI people is an incremental long-term effort. Yesterday's vote was a significant step forward, but much work still lies ahead. Killings of transgender people represent a significant source of global concern that remain largely unaddressed.
- The relationships built with your government, the dialogues that have taken place over the past week, and the networks with other groups working on these issues will all be important as we move forward in future. Prompt follow-up now will help strengthen and maintain those relationships in preparation for the challenges ahead.
How do I contact my government?
- The most important contact is your government’s Foreign Ministry in your capital. Contact details for the Foreign Ministry of each country can be found at:
http://www.ediplomat.com/dc/foreign_ministries.htm
- It is also useful to contact your country’s Ambassador in New York. A list of New York Missions is available at:
http://www.un.org/en/members/
The attached spreadsheet also contains fax and e-mail addresses for all New York Missions.
How did my country vote last time?
- We are attaching a spreadsheet with voting records from yesterday's vote, so that you can see whether your government supported the sexual orientation reference, opposed it, abstained or did not vote (“DNV”). A list of how States voted is also included at the end of this e-mail.
What's next?
- Once you have followed up with your government and/or media, suggested next steps include:
1. Celebrate;
2. Relax;
3. Brace yourself for 2011, when we are expecting a major joint statement on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity to be presented at the UN Human Rights Council in March! We will again need all your support to ensure the success of this important next step.
Questions or further information?
- The coalition of international NGOs working on this and future initiatives may be contacted for any further information at:
coordination@arc-international.net
Thank you for your contribution to this tremendous victory, and your follow-up efforts to help build upon this success!
-----------------------------------------
John Fisher
Co-Director, ARC International
Cell: +41-79-508-3968
john@arc-international.net
www.arc-international.net
How they voted:
In favor of amendment restoring sexual orientation to UNGA resolution on executions (93):
Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Marshall Island, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela
Opposed to amendment (55):
Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Brunei Dar-Sala, Burkina Faso, Burundi, China, Comoros, Congo, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Abstained (27):
Belarus, Bhutan, Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Lao, Lesotho, Liberia, Maldives, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome Principe, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam
Did not vote/Absent (17):
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote D'Ivoire, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Seychelles, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan
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