IGLHRC recognized by U.N.
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Seattle Gay News
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posted Friday, July 23, 2010 - Volume 38 Issue 30 IGLHRC recognized by U.N.by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer In spite of a bizarre alliance of U.S. Republicans and Islamic fundamentalists, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission was accredited by the United Nations on July 19. In a 23-13 vote, with 13 abstentions, the U.N. Economic and Social Council granted 'consultative status' to the U.S.-based IGLHRC. The move was strongly supported by the Obama administration, and strongly opposed by two Republican Congressmen - Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.). The week before the U.N. vote, Smith and Franks took the unusual step of writing to the member countries of the Economic and Social Council, urging them to reject IGLHRC's application. U.S. Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo, U.S. deputy representative to the U.N., spoke to the Council on July 19, urging them to vote for the IGLHRC. "The United States urges you to be guided by the standards for consultative status under Resolution 1996/31 and to adopt E/2010/L.19, so that the IGLHRC can join the U.N.'s vibrant community of civil society organizations, as it so richly deserves," she said. In the end, the U.S. lined up with Canada, Australia, Japan and 19 other countries, most of them European or Latin American, to support IGLHRC's application. Russia, China, and Venezuela joined eight predominantly Muslim countries - including U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan - and two African countries with large Muslim minorities to oppose IGLHRC. After the vote, Pres. Obama issued a statement applauding the U.N. action. "I welcome this important step forward for human rights, as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) will take its rightful seat at the table of the United Nations. The U.N. was founded on the premise that only through mutual respect, diversity, and dialogue can the international community effectively pursue justice and equality. Today, with the more full inclusion of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, the United Nations is closer to the ideals on which it was founded, and to values of inclusion and equality to which the United States is deeply committed," the president's statement said. For IGLHRC, the July 19 victory capped a three-year battle for recognition. IGLHRC - which advocates against anti-Gay laws and state-sanctioned violence - first applied for "consultative status" in 2007, hoping to get formal recognition from the U.N. and a greater voice in U.N. debates. The group's application languished in the Non-Governmental Organization Committee for three years until it was pushed by the Obama administration. The NGO Committee - which has been notoriously hostile to LGBT rights groups - voted in June to "take no action" on IGLHRC's application. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice then submitted a resolution directly to the Economic and Social Council, bypassing the NGO Committee. The U.S. strategy was ultimately successful. "This victory is particularly significant," an IGLHRC statement said, "coming as it does after a prolonged three-year application process in the sub-committee that makes initial recommendations on status. Despite full compliance with all procedures IGLHRC faced deferrals, homophobic questioning, and procedural roadblocks in the ECOSOC NGO Committee." IGLHRC went on to say that the U.N.'s decision "signals a recognition of the important role of a diverse and active civil society at the U.N. In support of progress on IGLHRC's application, a group of over 200 NGOs from 59 countries endorsed a letter to all UN Member States, demanding fair and non-discriminatory treatment and supporting IGLHRC's goal of amplifying LGBT voices in the international arena." The last LGBT group to get consultative status - Brazil's Associacao Brasileira de Lesbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais (ABGLT) - was approved in 2009. "We celebrate this decision," ABGLT President Toni Reis said in a statement. "It is crucial that LGBT NGOs have the opportunity to participate in the U.N. human rights debate - though in future, organizations should receive full and fair reviews before the NGO Committee itself." |
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