Al-Jaafari: E-voting on UNGA resolutions contradicts its rules of procedures

NEW YORK, (ST)- The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a draft resolution on e-voting on its resolutions when an in-person meeting is not possible.

The draft resolution, which was submitted by Liechtenstein and several other countries, got 123 votes in favor, 19 against and 29 abstentions.

Syria was among the countries that rejected the document.

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar Al-Jaafari, said in a statement on Friday during a UN General Assembly meeting, dedicated for voting on the proposed draft resolution, that the new mechanism contradicts, though temporarily, the Assembly’s rules of procedures which took decades of work by members to reach the current form in order to serve the interests of all member states.

 The new draft resolution, al-Jaafari added, will be a precedent in the UN work as it will harm the form and rules of this international organization, especially as it prevents countries from the in-person meeting to practice their right to vote, not to mention the ambiguity of the aspects of this draft resolution. He pointed out that the text didn’t specify a timeframe for the validity of the new procedure and it didn’t clearly specify the exceptional circumstances that may make the Assembly resort to e-voting.

He indicated that the new draft resolution cannot be considered as mere a technical amendment of the rules of procedure as its proposers promote. On the contrary, this mechanism undermines the effectiveness and accuracy of the Assembly’s agreed upon procedures in implementation of certain political agendas that don’t serve the common interests of the member states.

Al-Jaafari pointed out that the basis on which the United Nations was built is equality for all and the right of states to vote and express their positions equally, but, today, some parties are putting this sacred right in the hand of an “electronic mechanism” that can show or hide countries’ voices according to its mood and that creates fears about the loss of the Assembly’s credibility and transparency. He added that this mechanism requires modern technology that may not be available in many member states, “evidence of this is the problems facing us during the informal meetings held via video.”

Al-Jaafari expressed concern over the unjustified urgency in which this draft resolution was transformed from a suggestion for discussion into a document for voting and adoption.

Hamda Mustafa