U.S., E.U., Canada Protest Islamic Countries’ Move To Block Some Groups From Attending U.N. AIDS Meeting

New York Times: U.N. AIDS Meeting Faces Dispute Over 22 Barred Groups
“The United Nations is scheduled to host a global meeting to stop the AIDS epidemic. Should groups that represent transgender people or drug users be allowed to participate? No, according to a number of countries that belong to the 193-member General Assembly. And they have managed to block the participation of nearly two dozen organizations, from countries as diverse as Cameroon, Jamaica, and Russia. … The blacklisted organizations and their supporters have loudly objected…” (Sengupta, 5/18).

Reuters: Muslim states block gay groups from U.N. AIDS meeting; U.S. protests
“…Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, wrote to General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft and said the groups appeared to have been blocked for involvement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy. … U.N. officials said the European Union and Canada also wrote to Lykketoft to protest the objections by the [Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)] group, whose members include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Sudan, and Uganda…” (Nichols, 5/17).

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