We are the Scrooge of the world

[razzleccentric]

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS 52 RESOLUTIONS, 6 DECISIONS RECOMMENDED BY THIRD COMMITTEE ON WIDE RANGE OF HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL, HUMANITARIAN ISSUES (4 December 2008)

Vote on Right to Food

Draft resolution XX on the right to food would have the Assembly reaffirm that hunger constitutes an outrage and a violation of human dignity, requiring the adoption of urgent measures at the national, regional and international level, for its elimination.

The draft resolution on the right to food (document A/63/430/Add.2) was adopted by a recorded vote of 184 in favour to 1 against, with no abstentions, as follows:

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: United States.

Comments

[peradouro.livejournal.com]

WTHF? Who is our rep?

[bluestocking7.livejournal.com]

That sucks - the country that HAS the most won't share? I am ashamed.

[ladypeyton.livejournal.com]

Isn't that the typical Republican reaction to people in need? If those countries want food then they should stop being so lazy and get a job?

[amethyst-clan.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

I don't have words. I'm so ashamed.

[golconda2.livejournal.com]

Yet another upturned middle finger as this "administration" ends its term...

[altamaha.livejournal.com]

What? Good grief.
To be honest, though, what does this resolution actually DO other than state that hunger is bad?

[brock-fn-samson.livejournal.com]

Fuuuuuuuhhhhck....

[d-c-m.livejournal.com]

*headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*

Thank goodness it is only a few more week until President Obama!!!

[razzle.livejournal.com]

Interesting commentary found on Mahalo.com:

Under the Bush administration, the 'Right to Food' is viewed as an economic right, meaning that the government's responsibility is to provide the economic conditions that allow a person to obtain food from money received through her own initiatives. The administration denies that anyone has a right to expect the government to provide food directly, or that such a right would or could be enforceable under international law.

This is a distinctly different view from the previous Clinton administration, which saw the 'Right to Food' as "the most basic human right."

[razzle.livejournal.com]

Nothing in particular. Which makes it even more sad, in a way, that US government can't even agree to that obvious and toothless humanitarian statement.

As someone on Mahalo.com pointed out, the Bush administration sees "Right to Food" as an economic issue, not a basic human rights issue. That's why the vote went the way it did.

[altamaha.livejournal.com]

The Bush admin thinks that the right to food is not a basic human rights issue? Clearly they've never had a hungry day in their lives, then.

Guess that was one way for the UN to get the Bush Admin to show its true colors.

[razzle.livejournal.com]

See pp. 76-84 of the document for details and the full language of the resolution. Other than "stressing" and "suggesting" and "urging", the UN really can't do much.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

This would be why I keep getting emails from America's Second Harvest telling me how many US folk are relying on food banks and donations to get themselves and their kids fed.. Eating isn't a right, its a privilege.

*shudder*

Just very glad to see the UK didn't hang onto US coat-tails on this one, we do that way too often so I always need ot check :(

[dyfferent.livejournal.com]

Clinton grew up poor.

[gypsy1969.livejournal.com]

OMG
I'm so ashamed.

Totally embarrassed

[iceblink.livejournal.com]

Well, doesn't that make us look like a bunch of asshats.

[ellison.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I wish we could wave a flag to the rest of the world that says, "Views expressed by this nation's government do not reflect the views of its people!" Just so people don't think we're ALL that stupid and heartless.