Livewire - Amnesty International blogging for human rights

Kate Sheill, Amnesty International’s Identity-based Discrimination Team Coordinator, blogging from the UN in New York

Some of the team who were in New York ©ARC International

So why all this fuss about a statement in a big meeting?

The joint statement will be issued as a formal UN document, but that will take a few weeks. It is a really strong text that will be really useful in our advocacy with those states who have signed on (see attachment for statement text and supporters), as well as in our future international advocacy work. Yet again, the UN has provided a space for LGBT activists to be heard when they are ignored by their governments at home.

In my last posting, I wasn’t sure about the level of support for the text that Syria delivered. Well, this isn’t surprising really, as States actively working on that statement were variously telling other government delegations and NGO activists that they had secured 60 or even 62 State endorsements.

But after repeated viewings of the webcast archives, colleagues make the count a definite 57. (Well, 59 States were announced but Syria then admitted that two of those “are not in the list”, evidently because they withdrew their support for the Syrian statement.)

There’s much in that text that is horrible, especially the prejudicial conflation of sexual orientation and paedophilia, which, of course, Amnesty International rejects entirely. But what is extraordinary is that to get this level of support they have also had to affirm universality, indivisibility and non-discrimination, and “strongly deplore all forms of stereotyping, exclusion, stigmatisation, prejudice, intolerance, discrimination and violence directed against peoples, communities and individuals on any ground whatsoever, wherever they occur.” It might sound odd, given their goal to oppose the joint statement, but it is enormous progress!

As one example, the response by the Holy See condemned violence against homosexuals and called for a repeal of criminal penalties against homosexuals.

It has been amazing to witness those actors who have for so long spoken out so strongly against this issue now having to modify their tactics to this degree. A true sign of progress!

Now, a lot of our opponents’ arguments are based on erroneous statements of the law, something addressed in a video statement given at a high level side event UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay. In a powerful statement of support, Pillay affirmed that “There is now a considerable body of decisions affirming that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is contrary to international human rights law.”

Furthermore, she stated, “I am delighted that there are so many member states, from every region of the globe and reflecting different religious and cultural perspectives, who are supporting this statement. It is exactly a reflection of the UDHR and how human rights protections work, and indicative of the fact that it is the United Nations which must show leadership in protecting what it has crafted. Those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, those who are transgender, transsexual or intersex, are full and equal members of the human family, and are entitled to be treated as such.”

Pillay drew on her South African nationality in the statement – fairly obviously, you might think, as South Africa was the first country to enshrine the right to be protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation in the Constitution. But this came just an hour or so after South Africa (who didn’t support the joint statement, anymore than they had supported either of the previous ones) had outdone themselves by voting against the term ’sexual orientation’ in the resolution addressing extrajudicial executions (where it occurs in the list of the grounds on which individuals are targeted). That amendment was defeated in a vote (called by Uganda on behalf of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference) by 78-60, and the resolution itself was adopted.

So we’ve come a really long way, but still have quite some distance to travel.

From a very tired but happy activist in NY, waiting for the snow…