The truth about the votes
New database reveals the positions of India, Brazil and South Africa on human rights issues in the UN
There is a lot of talk these days about the positions of emerging countries when it comes to international crises and human rights issues, such as the war in Syria or the debate on drug patents. Little is known, however, about how these countries behave in practice. Are they aligned with the traditional powers? Are their discourses similar? Do they vote in the same way? Do their priorities coincide?
A platform launched today, September 18, by Conectas provides answers to these questions. The BdONU, as the database has been called, contains all the votes of the IBSA countries (India, Brazil and South Africa) in the UN’s two main human rights bodies – the Third Committee of the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council – since 2006. The purpose: to systematize and expose the international conduct of these countries, thereby contributing to the analysis of their role in the protection of rights in world.
Click here to access the BdONU.
“The IBSA group was created in 2003 on the pillars of defending democracy, the rule of law and multilateralism, but it has been very hard to tell whether this discourse has been reflected in reality, in the votes of these countries in the UN,” said Camila Asano, coordinator of Foreign Policy at Conectas. “Now we can see, for example, a breakdown of the block in relation to the humanitarian crisis in Syria: since 2010, in 13 resolutions on the topic, Brazil voted in favor seven times. India abstained on 10 occasions and South Africa abstained 3 times and even voted against one of the resolutions.
In addition to the voting history of the IBSA group, the BdONU includes thematic analyses produced by organizations and researchers from around the world. To contribute, write to bdonu@conectas.org.
Watch the tutorial to learn how to use the BdONU:
Launch
On Thursday, September 24, representatives of civil society and academia will discuss the positions of emerging countries in international human rights forums and the importance of the BdONU in this context.
The speakers will be the professors André de Carvalho Ramos of the University of São Paulo (USP) and Fabia Veçoso of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), as well as Camila Asano, coordinator of the Foreign Policy program at Conectas. Registration for the event is free and can be submitted by completing the online form. Participation certificates will be issued to students.
Event
The truth about the votes: Why monitor the positions of countries in the international human rights system?
Guests:
André de Carvalho Ramos – USP
Fabia Veçoso – Unifesp
Camila Asano – Conectas
Venue:
University of São Paulo Law School, Largo São Francisco (Sé subway station)
Arcadas Auditorium
When?
Thursday, September 24, at 5:30 pm
