General Assembly Passes Amendment Deleting Controversial Term

By Contributor | November 19, 2010

This past Tuesday, the General Assembly’s Third Committee took action on a resolution entitled Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions. The resolution, introduced by Finland and co-sponsored by over 50 countries, contained the language “sexual orientation” in a phrase condemning “all killings committed for any discriminatory reason.” Delegate members of the OIC, the African Group and the Arab Group brought to the floor an amendment to the resolution that deleted the reference to “sexual orientation” and replaced it with the phrase “on any basis.”

Finland noted the presence of the amendment “with regret” and said that it was “unacceptable” to their delegation. The African Group defended the amendment, saying that their proposal was far more inclusive than the original text and thus brought needed comprehensiveness to the paragraph. The delegate concluded, “If the international community wishes to discuss sexual identity or orientation, then do so; don’t use such an important resolution as a vehicle for a controversial agenda.”

Morocco, representing the OIC, lamented the inclusion of the “undefined and controversial” term “sexual orientation,” citing the reality that there is “no foundation in any international legal or human rights instrument that justifies its inclusion” in the resolution. Morocco continued that they were “seriously concerned by the attempt to introduce such a controversial and undefined notion into the text” and noted with concern as well the “attempt to create new rights which were neither discussed nor agreed upon.” The delegation of St. Lucia also voiced her support for the amendment’s more comprehensive language.

The amendment to the resolution passed, with a vote of 79 to 70, with 17 abstentions. Tuesday’s vote marked the first time in 10 years that the phrase “sexual orientation” was successfully removed from this resolution by an amendment from the floor from in the Third Committee.

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