FINAL UNGA PLENARY ACTION ON RESOLUTIONS OF THE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002290 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM AORC UNGA XX SUBJECT: FINAL UNGA PLENARY ACTION ON RESOLUTIONS OF THE THIRD COMMITTEE, DECEMBER 19-22 REF: USUN NEW YORK 002209 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) Summary: The UN General Assembly took final action December 19-22 on all the resolutions of the Third Committee, including human rights resolution on Belarus, Iran, DPRK and Burma (Burma further reported septel). As is customary, final action in the Plenary was virtually identical to that taken previously when the Third Committee adopted each resolution. For the sake of brevity, this cable will highlight only those four resolutions for which votes took place. On all other items, resolutions were adopted by consensus. End Summary. Country Human Rights Resolutions: DPRK, Belarus, Iran -------------- -------------- ¶2. Votes on individual country-specific human rights resolution in the GA Plenary were as follows: A/61/443/Add.3 -- Draft resolution on "The Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." Adopted 99(U.S.)-21-56, with 6 not voting. Extrajudicial Executions." A/61/443/Add.3 -- Draft resolution on "The Situation of Human Rights in Belarus." Adopted 72(U.S.)-32-69, with 19 not voting. An earlier no-action motion, designed to kill resolution without a vote, was defeated by a vote of 67-79(U.S.)-32, with 14 not voting. A/61/443/Add.3 -- Draft resolution on "The Situation of Human Rights in Iran." Adopted 72(U.S.)-50-55, with 15 not voting. An earlier no-action motion was defeated by a vote of 81-75(U.S.)-24, with 12 not voting. A/61/443/Add.3 -- Draft resolution on "The Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar." Adopted 82(U.S.)-25-45, with 40 not voting. An earlier no-action motion that was defeated in the Third Committee was not raised in the GA Plenary. (Septel to follow.) Votes on Other Third Committee Resolutions -------------- ¶2. (U) Votes on other individual items from Third Committee were as follows: A/61/439 -- Draft resolution on "The Rights of the Child." Adopted 185-1(U.S.)-0, with 6 not voting. A/61/441 -- Draft resolution on "The Inadmissibility of Practices Fueling Contemporary Forms of Racism." Adopted 121-4(U.S.)-60, with 7 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no were Japan, Marshall Islands, and Micronesia. A/61/441 -- Draft resolution on "Global Efforts to Eliminate Racism." Adopted 179-2-4, with 7 not voting. In addition to the U.S., Israel voted no. A/61/442 -- Draft resolution on "The Use of Mercenaries as a Means of Violating Human Rights." Adopted 127-51(U.S.)-7, with 7 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included Japan, S. Korea, Canada, Australia, Israel, Israel, and the EU and aspirants. A/61/442 -- Draft resolution on "The Right of the Palestinian People to Self-determination." Adopted 176-5(U.S.)-5, with 6 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no were Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "The Human Rights Situation Arising from Israeli Military Operations in Lebanon." Adopted 112-7(U.S.)-64, with 7 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no were Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Globalization and Its Impact on Human Rights." Adopted 130-54(U.S.)-3, with 5 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and the EU and aspirants. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "The Composition of the Staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights." Adopted 118-7(U.S.)-55, with 12 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no were Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Marshall Islands, and Micronesia. (Note: In a highly unusual procedural move, the UN secretariat took the floor of the GA when this item came up for adoption. The secretariat representative pointed out that the provision in operative paragraph 1(b),which authorizes the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (UNOCHR) to hire staff who have not competed in standard competitive examination, is contrary to UN practice and to requirements of other UNGA resolutions.) A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Promotion of a Democratic, Equitable International Order." Adopted 124-56(U.S.)-4, with 8 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and the EU and aspirants. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Respect for the Right to Universal Freedom of Travel and Importance of Family Reunification." Adopted 112-4(U.S.)-58, with 18 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no were Israel, Marshall Islands, and Palau. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Right to Food." Adopted 185-1(U.S.)-0, with 6 not voting. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Combating the Defamation of Religions." Adopted 111-54(U.S.)-18, with 9 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included Japan, South Korea, Canada, New Zealand, and the EU and aspirants. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Promotion of Equitable and Mutually Respectful Dialogue on Human Rights." Adopted 86(U.S.)-64-26, with 16 not voting. The countries voting against the resolution included Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and the EU and aspirants. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "The Right to Development." Adopted 134-53(U.S.)-0, with 5 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and the EU and aspirants. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Human Rights and Unilateral Coercive Measures." Adopted 131-54(U.S.)-0, with 7 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and the EU and aspirants. A/61/443/Add.2 -- Draft resolution on "Extrajudicial Executions." Vote on Operative Paragraph 4, on human rights obligations of States maintaining the death penalty. Adopted 104-31-29(U.S.). Vote on Operative Paragraph 5(b),on the protection of the right to life. Adopted 105-30(U.S.)-30, with 27 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included China, Egypt, Iran, Libya, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Vote on the resolution as a whole. Adopted 137-0-43(U.S.),with 12 not voting. In addition to the U.S., others voting no included China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Libya, Russia, and Saudi Arabia WOLFF