what was regression where in South Africa ?
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Answer:
One of the key votes, which merit further analysis, was the vote by South Africa. South Africa, it bears recalling, was the country which sponsored the first resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity at the Human Rights Council in 2011. From sponsoring the SOGI resolution in 2011, to voting in favour of the next resolution in 2014, South Africa moved to an abstention in 2016. What accounted for this fairly dramatic shift?
The vote by South Africa can perhaps be best understood through an analysis of the statement by the South African Ambassador Ms. Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, which bears full citation:
For South Africa, respect for the promotion, protection and fulfillment of human rights and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in our Constitution constitutes the critical pillar of our foreign policy. We believe that no person should be subjected to discrimination and violence on any ground including on the basis of sexual orientation.
Guided by this conviction, South Africa tabled the original resolution on the SOGI and the LGBTI issue in 2011. Our approach on the issue of protection against violence and discrimination of LGBTI persons was and remains to focus on issues that will draw maximum unity in this Council and carry even countries that have some challenges with this issue. How the current sponsors have sought to build on South Africa’s initiative on 2011, has added divisiveness and created unnecessary acrimony in this Council. We learnt from our struggle against apartheid that if we are clear about the end goal which for us is to end the violence and the discrimination against LGBTI persons a better approach is built in maximum consensus. This could have been achieved had it not been for the arrogant and confrontational approach which adopted.
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