— says Rodrigues-Birkett, emphasises automatic voting record not final

AMID claims that Guyana voted against a resolution to eliminate racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has emphasised that Guyana was the main sponsor of that resolution and that the country was supportive of it.

Resolution 72/157 is entitled “A global call for concrete action for the total elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.” This resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly (UN-GA) at the seventy-second session in December 2017.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on Saturday night, Rodrigues-Birkett noted that there was some amount of false information circulating on social media, suggesting that Guyana voted against this resolution.

“This is completely false and cannot be further from the truth. As Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, I wish to confirm that Guyana voted in support of the resolution when it was adopted in the General Assembly on December 31st, 2020,” Rodrigues-Birkett stated.

In fact, the Permanent Representative underscored, “Indeed, as Chair of G77 and China, Guyana was the main sponsor of the resolution and, jointly with South Africa, facilitated the negotiations for this Resolution in the Third Committee.”

The Third Committee of the United Nation deals with social, humanitarian and cultural Issues. According to original resolution document on the UN website, as the immediate past chair of the Group of 77 (G77) and China, Guyana presented the revised draft resolution on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the G77 and China during the seventy-fifth session of the Third Committee.

The statement from Rodrigues-Birkett also noted that the Resolution was introduced by the representative from Guyana in the Third Committee on November 19, 2020. Then, the Guyanese representative reminded the Committee that 2021 would mark the 20th Anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and, as such, the G77 and China had presented substantive changes to the Resolution aimed at commemorating this important milestone.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

The statement further indicated that the Guyanese representative stated: “The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action emphasises that equality and non-discrimination are fundamental principles of international human rights and international humanitarian law and are essential in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.”

It was highlighted that this resolution constitutes a holistic agenda that encompasses measures to improve education and awareness, to fight poverty and marginalisation, and to secure inclusive development. And, the relevance of this resolution was further strengthened by the recognised nexus between combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The G77 and China views the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as a valuable opportunity to enhance public understanding about its comprehensive nature, and as a timely reminder to all that racism, racial discrimination xenophobia and related intolerance are scourges that must be eliminated,” the Guyanese representative stated too.

Importantly, on behalf of the G77 and China, she also noted that greater attention should be given to the issues affecting People of African Descent.

“The International Decade for the People of African Descent and the adoption by consensus of the programme of activities for the implementation of the decade is an integral part of the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,” Rodrigues-Birkett said.

AUTOMATIC VOTING NOT FINAL

At the end of the statement made by the Guyanese representative, Guyana invited delegations to co-sponsor and vote in favour of this resolution against racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. The Guyana Chronicle understands that this vote was recorded from an automatic generation process but it was not the final vote made by Guyana.

“It should be noted that the automatic generation of the vote as shown on screen in the room at the time of voting is not the final official record of the meeting,” the statement from Rodrigues-Birkett explained.

The Permanent Representative emphasised that Guyana was supportive of this resolution and posited, “It goes without saying that Guyana, as the proponent of a Resolution, would not have voted against our own resolution.”

The official records from the voting done in the Third Committee showed that Guyana voted in favour of this resolution. The draft resolution, as orally revised, was adopted by 124 votes to 12, with 44 abstentions in that committee. The official records from the vote in the UN-GA are not yet available.