By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 23, updated -- Culture wars continued at the UN on Monday when the International Lesbian and Gay Association came up for a vote for consultative status in the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations.
First, countries which opposed ILGA tried to stop them on a so called no-action vote, emphasizing that the group had declined to answer a new round of questionnaires, calling them discriminatory. In February, as exclusively covered by Inner City Press, ILGA was blocked by a no-action vote, 9-7.
This time the blocking vote failed, 7 to 7 with several abstentions:
US- No. Venezuela- abstain. Belgium- No. Bulgaria- No. Burundi- Yes. China- Yes. India – No. Israel- No. Kyrgyzstan- Abstain. Morocco- Yes. Mozambique- Abstain. Nicaragua- Abstain. Pakistan- Yes. Peru- No. Russia- Yes. Senegal- Yes. Sudan- Yes. Turkey- No
After that vote, Belgium asked the committee chair for “rules of procedure for dummies.” Venezuela took exception to being called a dummy. Things proceeded without humor.
Now the vote turned against ILGA, 8 to 7. The swing vote was Kygyzstan, which abstained on the no-action vote, but vote “no” against ILGA:
Sudan- No. Turkey- Yes. US- Yes. Venezuela- Abstain. Belgium- Yes. Bulgaria- Yes. Burundi- No. China- No. India- Yes. Israel –Yes. Kygryzstan – No. Morocco- No. Mozambique- Abstain. Nicaragua- Abstain. Pakistan- No. Peru- Yes. Russia – No. Senegal- No.
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems was delayed, 8-6, on a no action motion. Various groups were delayed by questions. For example, Human Rights House Foundation was blocked by a question from Morocco, backed by China and Sudan. (See update below.)
And the International Dalit Solidarity Network was blocked by India, which questioned if the caste based system is not already adequately addressed by the Indian government. The Dalit are... untouchables. And so it goes at the UN.
Update: the Human Rights House Foundation has written in to say
“We are glad to see that you pay attention to the work of the NGO Committee -- the process in the Committee needs more attention and should get on the radar of the media. On 23 May... some delegations including Morocco needed more time and were requesting that our application is dealt with on 24 May. For your information, HRHF has applied for ECOSOC consultative status in 2005 and received since 2007 51 questions from the NGO Committee. We have been deferred many times, but at this May 2011 session we have not been deferred and on 24 May 2011 the NGO Committee recommended by consensus that the consultative status should be granted to HRHF.”
