U.S. Relations with the People's Republic of China (2006)

United States Mission to the United Nations

USUN PRESS RELEASE # 344(06)
November 20, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Explanation of Position by Miriam K. Hughes, Deputy U.S. Representative to the Economic and Social Council, on the Beijing Follow-up A/C.3/61/L.60, November 20, 2006

The United States is pleased to join consensus on this resolution with the following Explanation of Position.

--OP 2 reaffirms the Beijing and Beijing 5 documents and the CSW 2005 Declaration. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action express important political goals that the United States endorses. We reaffirm the goals, objectives, and commitments of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action based on several understandings. We understand that these documents constitute an important policy framework that does not create international legal rights or legally binding obligations on states under international law.

-- During the 2005 meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, there was international consensus that the Beijing documents create no new international rights, including a so-called "right" to abortion, and the CSW Chairperson confirmed this understanding.

-- On OP3, which "welcomes" the contributions of the CEDAW Committee, the U.S. interprets "welcomes" to refer to the Committee's contributions to Beijing follow-up, rather than support or endorsement of all of its recommendations.

-- We request that this Explanation of Position be included for the record in the report of this meeting. Thank you.

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