India supports Russian resolution opposing benefits for same-sex partners of UN staff Wednesday March 25,2015

 

India has supported a Russian-drafted resolution that opposed benefits for same-sex partners of UN staff but it failed to pass in the General Assembly committee

India, along with China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE voted in favour of the draft resolution,where 43 nations voted for the resolution

The resolution had 37 abstentions

The Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, that deals with administrative and budgetary issues, voted against the Russian proposal on Wednesday March 25,2015 that aimed at stopping the UN from offering marital benefits to its employees with same-sex spouses. 80 nations voted against denying these benefits.

The resolution would have had UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon withdraw his policy laying out the United Nations current rules for the personal status of staff members for determining their benefits and entitlements.

The policy made by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in summer 2014 had recognised same-sex marriages of all UN staffers, allowing them to receive UN benefits

Under the new UN policy on the personal status of same-sex couples, which became effective on June 26, 2014, the world body recognised all same-sex couples married in a country where it is legal, regardless of their nationality. About 40,000 UN staff across the world came under the purview of the policy. 

Note
Same-sex relations are a criminal offence in India after the Supreme Court had in 2013 overturned a Delhi High Court judgement that decriminalised gay sex in 2009

The High Court judgement was widely welcomed by the liberal sections of society along with the LGBT community and ever since the reversal by the Supreme Court there have been demands for again decriminalising it.