The United Nations Office at Geneva
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HRC 53 - Urgent Debate On Rise Of Religious Hatred - Vote
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7:35
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MP4
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475.6 MB
Teleprompter
So, at the request of the delegation of Belgium, the Council will now proceed to a recorded vote on draught Proposal L20 3AS orally revised.
And so let me ask the Secretary out to open the voting machine and and let me ask you to register your vote.
And now let me ask you if all delegations registered their vote.
If that is the case, please check whether your vote is accurately reflected on the screen and if so, I ask the Secretariat to close the voting machine and the voting is now closed.
So the results of the recorded votes are as follows.
28 in favour, 12 against and seven abstentions.
Draught Proposal L23AS all revised is therefore adopted.
[Other language spoken]
Copies copies of the results of the vote will shortly be uploaded on extranet and we will now move to explanations of vote and general comments after the vote on this resolution.
So are there any delegations asking for the floor?
[Other language spoken]
Pakistan, you have the floor.
[Other language spoken]
President, on behalf of OAC, we would like to make this explanation of vote after the vote to address misrepresentation of facts and set the record straight.
1 The adopted text is context specific and a proportionate response to deliberate, premeditated and recurring acts of desecration of the Holy Quran, constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
It is also aligned with consensus HRC Resolution 1618, which noted the need for accountability on incitement to violence.
2 It does not seek to curtail the right to free speech.
Rather, it aims at striking A prudent balance between exercise of this right with special duties and responsibilities as enshrined in Article 19 of ICCPR, and between the call for prohibiting advocacy of religious hatred in line with its Article 20.
Regrettably, some States have chosen to abdicate their responsibility to prevent and counter the scourge of religious hatred.
3 The text was balanced, thematic and solution oriented.
Contrary to the approach pursued by some countries, including those which oppose the present resolution.
The text does not target any country in voting against the resolution.
A message has been sent to billions of people of faith across the world that their commitment to prevent religious hatred is merely a lip service For the opposition of a few in the room has emanated from their unwillingness to condemn the village, the public desecration of the Holy Quran or any other religious book.
They lack political, legal and moral courage to condemn this act and it was the minimum that the Council could have expected from them.
Five, it is indeed misleading to claim that international human rights law does not protect a specific religion or a sacred book.
Rather, it protects individuals and their rights.
If this claim were true, what is to be said about international human rights law protecting people from the impacts of climate change?
This draught resolution is therefore about human rights impacts of such while acts and protection against acts of religious hatred.
6 We have seen that the issue of religious hatred has become a systemic challenge.
Several instances of desecration of the Holy Quran have taken place and broadcast.
It aims to address the issue of the systemic human rights impacts arising from the absence of prevention, legal deterrence and accountability.
And finally, it does not seek a Council mandated mechanism, but leaves the space for states to examine and adopt national laws and policies to prevent and counter acts and advocacy of religious hatred.
I thank you, thank you, and now let me invite the United States of America.
[Other language spoken]
President, I was up in the middle of the night with a heavy sense of sadness.
I'm truly heartbroken that this council was unable to speak with a unanimous voice today in condemning what we all agree are deplorable acts of anti Muslim hatred while also respecting freedom of expression.
Resolution 1618 has shown us that this can be done, and I believe with a little more time and more open discussion, we could have also found a way forward together on this resolution.
the US worked hard toward that goal and has repeatedly condemned the precipitating acts.
Unfortunately, our concerns were not taken seriously.
the United States acknowledges and deplores the rise in suspicion, discrimination and outright hatred toward Muslims throughout the world, rightfully characterised by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2021 report as reaching epidemic proportions.
We all continue and will continue to call for the repeal of those laws, policies and practises that perpetuate harmful stereotypes and tropes that depict Muslims and their beliefs and culture as a ******.
We will continue to speak out against all forms of religious hatred and discrimination, including when governments themselves enact policies that systemically restrict and suppress practises that are part of the identity and culture life of persons belonging to particular religious communities, such as the desecration of places of worship, cemeteries, religious texts and symbols, and restrictions on religious practises themselves.
The Council must not turn a blind eye when governments themselves are responsible for religious intolerance, suppression and acts of hatred.
We strongly believe that hatred Withers in the face of public scrutiny and that limiting freedom of expression will only force hateful ideas to find new venues in which to manifest and call undue attention to acts that we would not wish to amplify.
We call on all governments to implement measures such as education, interfaith and intercultural dialogue, urging political, religious and societal leaders to speak out and condemn offensive expression and other mechanisms to confront hate speech and all its forms and wherever it occurs.
And I hope we can all agree to uphold our duties and respect the rights of all persons to organise their lives in accordance with their religious beliefs or lack thereof, identity and conscience.
[Other language spoken]