No-action motion
Organizations criticize use in UN of mechanism that prevents discussion
In the meeting of the UN General Assembly that took place on November 15, a “no-action motion” was presented by Belarus. It is a mechanism that can be used by any Member State to prevent an item on the agenda from being submitted to the vote. Concerned about the damage that initiatives such as this can have on discussions, civil society organizations wrote a letter addressed to all the representatives of Member States of the United Nations asking for the motion – which ended up being rejected – to not be accepted.
The organizations believe that the use of the no-action motion could signal to individuals around the world that the UN is not a place where freedom of expression is respected or where debate is encouraged. They argue that mechanisms like this should not be used to censor important and legitimate discussion.
“Open debate and dialogue is at the heart of this process. Respecting and supporting the right to freedom of expression is essential for the General Assembly to fulfil its mandate,” said Conectas and the other signatories of the letter.
In addition to Conectas, the document was signed by another 15 organizations, including Civicus, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
- Click here to read the letter in full.
