Minister Nkoana-Mashabane must account for anti-LGBTI vote at UN
08 July 2014
The DA will write to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to demand an urgent explanation for South Africa's endorsement of the exclusion of LGBTI families from a resolution passed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
According to reports by the Director of the Human Rights Watch LGBT Rights Programme, South Africa not only voted for the resolution but also supported Russia's proposal to shut down any discussion around an "inclusive family".
The resolution calls on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to draft a report on the status of the family. It is critical, given the increase in homophobic legislation, that this also include same-sex families.
This move by the South African delegation flies directly in the face of the Department of Justice's task team set up in 2011 to address the rise in hate crimes against members of the LGBTI community that have shocked the country in recent years.
South Africa also committed to host the African regional seminar focusing on the plight of the LGBTI community during the first half of this year which has not materialised. The Minister must provide the relevant dates for when this is to occur along with a proposed agenda.
This endorsement together with government's silence on the Ugandan anti-gay legislation is a worrying sign that the South African government is not at all serious about LGBTI issues.
South Africa has a proud history of fighting injustice with a liberal constitution which enshrines rights on sexual orientation. Moreover, South Africa has many LGBTI families that would benefit from a recognition of a broader definition of "family".
We should therefore be the first to argue for same sex inclusion, and oppose any attempts to limit this in any way.
The DA cannot let our human rights based foreign policy, as established by President Nelson Mandela, be undermined without recourse.
The DA will demand clarity on the motivations for this questionable endorsement.
Statement issued by Stevens Mokgalapa, DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, July 8 2014
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