UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Monday accredited a major gay and lesbian organisation that Egypt, Russia and others had tried to keep out as a group permitted to lobby at the world body.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, a U.S.-based advocacy group, had applied for "consultative status" at the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) three years ago.
Last month a U.N. committee that accredits nongovernmental groups rejected the application after 'no' votes from countries including Egypt, Russia and China. Western diplomats vowed at the time to override the committee vote.
The United States, Britain and other Western delegations urged the full 54-nation ECOSOC to vote on IGLHRC's application, which it did on Monday. It was approved with 23 'yes' votes, 13 'no' votes and 13 abstentions.
Among those who voted 'no' were once again Egypt, China and Russia, along with Niger, Morocco, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Those who voted in favour of the commission's application included the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, Brazil and Japan.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo welcomed the outcome.
"ECOSOC has once again sent a clear message to the NGO committee and to the international community that it will ensure that diverse voices of civil society, including those that advocate for LGBT rights, are heard at the United Nations," she told ECOSOC members.
LGBT refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
British Deputy Ambassador Philip Parham told ECOSOC that the group's presence at the world body "will add an important voice to our discussions at the U.N."
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission director Cary Alan Johnson said in a statement that the decision was "an affirmation that the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have a place at the United Nations as part of a vital civil society community."
"The clear message here is that these voices should not be silenced and that human rights cannot be denied on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity," Johnson added.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Jackie Frank)
