Ambassadors walk-out of UN meeting over new sexual rights agenda Geneva, : A large group of ambassadors walked out of a United Nations (UN) meeting yesterday in protests at a concerted attempt to create new sexual rights, reports the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk , a UN-recognised non-governmental organisation (NGO) present at yesterday's meeting. SPUC upholds the family based on natural (i.e. heterosexual) marriage because of its protective effect for both unborn and born children.

Patrick Buckley, who represented SPUC in Geneva, reports: "The panel discussion had been arranged by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The discussion was entitled "Ending violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity".

The panel chosen for the discussion was unanimous in its support for expanding universally-accepted human rights norms to include the novel concepts of 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity'.

"The ambassadors of the Arab Group and of the Organisation of Islamic States (OIC) walked out once the discussion began. Delegates chosen by the Arab Group and the OIC also walked out after delivering strongly-worded statements. "A clear divide was evident between those nations which want to invent new so-called rights and those nations who reject the concept of establishing new so-called rights. There is no international consensus on the meaning of the terms 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity'.

The EU, the US, Canada, Australia and some South American countries support an expansion of rights, in contrast to the Russian Federation, most African countries, the Holy See, the Arab Group and the OIC.

Saeed Sarwar, the Pakistani delegate speaking on behalf of the OIC Group, told the discussion: 'The international community only recognizes those rights that are enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which were codified in subsequent international human rights instruments. Thus, we strongly condemn systematic attempts by a group of states to introduce the notion of 'sexual orientation' ...  Our opposition to the notion of sexual orientation also stems from the fact that it may encompass the social normalization, and possibly the legitimization, of many deplorable acts, including pedophilia and incest.'

Time was not given to the Holy See to make a statement.

Only non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which support the sexual rights agenda were called to make a statement.

Mr Buckley continued: "The bias shown by the Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday reflects the Council's ideological commitment to the Western homosexual agenda. We are witnessing the imposition of a socio-political agenda, enforced by UN bureaucrats, on all nations regardless of cultural or other norms. The Council wants to manipulate states into engaging in public propaganda campaigns, in order to achieve its political ambitions to change society according to its own whims and prejudices. There is no fundamental right to homosexual practices", concluded Mr Buckley. SPUC's communications department can be contacted on + 44 (0)7939 177683 or +44 (0)20 7820 3129 or news@spuc.org.uk