ecosoc dismisses two lgbt organizations without fair hearing!

ILGA Press Release

January 25, 2006: In an unprecedented move, the Economic and Social Council dismissed the applications of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) and the Danish Association of Gays and Lesbians (LBL*) for observer Status at the United Nations this Monday January 23 2006. For the first time in its history, the ECOSOC dismissed summarily the application of an NGO without the hearings accorded to other applicants.

"It is a clear violation of due process and an attempt to discriminate against LGBT NGOs on procedural grounds" says Rosanna Flamer Caldera, Co-secretary General of ILGA, a worldwide network of over 400 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups.

Both ILGA and LBL were made to go through a stringent process in anticipation of a hearing with the NGO committee. However, in a move influenced by Egypt and the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) the two organizations were arbitrarily dismissed in a joint motion put to the NGO committee by Iran, Sudan and their newest ally, the United States. The United States had, in the past, voted favourably for ILGA in 2002. In this instance the Bush Administration found fit to vote alongside countries they have considered international pariahs in all other contexts to deny LGBT people a voice at the UN - a right given to any other category of NGO.

Vote to summarily dismiss the applications of ILGA and LBL was as follows:
Yes: Cameroon, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, United States of America, Zimbabwe. No: Chile, France, Germany, Peru, Romania; Abstention: Colombia, India, Turkey. Not present: Ivory Coast.

"This is again a clear attempt to silence the voices of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people at the United Nations" says Kursad Kahramanoglu, Co-secretary General of ILGA. "The issue, we as people, will not go away: we will push for this unprecedented action to be reconsidered at the full ECOSOC".

ILGA's next world conference to be held in Geneva (March 27 - April 3 2006) simultaneously to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights will be an occasion to protest this injustice and ensure the stealth tactics of Egypt, Iran and Sudan and other countries known for their horrendous Human Rights records do not go unnoticed. ILGA will not allow this issue to be pushed off the agenda in order that countries can continue to persecute and discriminate against their LGBT citizens without answering to anyone.

ILGA will fight this latest setback. It will continue to defend the rights of LGBT persons worldwide and it will continue to ask the United Nations to consider the rights of all persons regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

ILGA wishes to thank the German Foreign Office, the Danish Foreign Office, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International for their support in this issue and calls on Human Rights Defenders everywhere to fight for the non discriminatory treatment of all LGBT NGOs who have just as much right to be at the UN as others.