By Associated Press —
After years of delay, the U.N. body overseeing economic development and social issues voted Wednesday to give nine human rights and minority groups the right to raise concerns and participate in its discussions, overriding objections from Russia, China, India, Arab nations and others.
The Economic and Social Council approved a U.S. draft decision giving a green light for the nine groups to get “special consultative status” with the 54-nation U.N. body by a vote of 24-17 with 12 abstentions.
The United States decided to go to the body’s full membership after its 19-member Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which handles requests for accreditation, deferred action again on the nine groups.
The vote accredited Arab-European Center of Human Rights and International Law; Bahrain Center for Human Rights; Coptic Solidarity; Gulf Centre for Human Rights; International Dalit Solidarity Network; and the interregional rights group Man and Law.
It also accredited Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice; Union of Non-Governmental Associations; World Union of Cossack Atamans; and World Without Genocide.
Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch, said: “Accrediting these nine groups sends a strong signal to the world that the U.N.’s doors — remain open to civil society organizations, despite efforts by China, Russia, India and others to keep them out.”
