Statement by: David Hamer, Adviser, Australian Mission to the UN 
As delivered

Thank you Chair.

I have the honour to deliver this explanation of vote in relation to the three amendments tabled on behalf of the Group of Member States of the OIC – L.67, L.68, and L.69 - on behalf of seven countries: Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and my own country, Australia.

Our countries thank the United States for presenting this draft resolution and are pleased to co-sponsor it. We strongly support the resolution, which recognises the importance of fair, periodic, inclusive, and genuine elections, and the role of the UN in assisting Member States to arrange them.

We welcome this year's focus on media freedom and the freedom of expression; both are fundamental parts of a vibrant democracy and a culture of accountability.

We especially welcome the resolution's continued focus on inclusion. In many countries, particular groups face barriers to participation in public and political life. These barriers can include unpaid care and domestic work, sexual and gender-based violence, limited accessibility of polling stations, and practical or legal discrimination against vulnerable groups. For elections to be fully representative, and therefore effective, citizens must be able to participate in them on an equal basis.

The resolution tabled by the facilitator contained a list in OP7, unchanged from the text's last adoption in 2021, which addressed all the groups that may be in vulnerable positions and that are more likely to be discriminated against and hindered from participating in public and political life – in particular, elections.

The amendments proposed today seek to change OP7 to exclude some key groups. By deleting certain groups, the amendments effectively suggest that some people can be discriminated against in electoral processes. A vote for the amendments is, therefore, a vote for discrimination.

The amendments again also seek to water down other key parts of the text adopted last time. If the amendments were adopted, they would weaken the resolution overall.

For our delegations, it is of utmost importance that the original list in OP7 – containing the full range of grounds for discrimination – be maintained. Therefore, we will vote against these three amendments, and we encourage all Member States to do the same.

Thank you.