Argentina’s stance on a United Nations General Assembly resolution on **indigenous peoples’ rights** surprised many this week as it was the only country that **voted against** it.
In a session held on Monday in New York, **United States**, the move led to strong internal criticism. This marked the country’s first vote before the **UN General Assembly** with **Gerardo Werthein** leading the Foreign Ministry.
## Indigenous Peoples’ Rights: How the Vote Went Down
A total of 168 countries voted in favor, with seven abstentions from **France, Laos, Lithuania, Mali, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia**.
The initial version of the resolution was presented in October. On Monday, a new draft was submitted to the organization with the endorsement of 22 member countries.
These include Armenia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Iceland, Liberia, Norway, Nicaragua, Peru, Paraguay, Sweden, and Venezuela.
This was the voting for the UN resolution.[/caption>
The document aims to broadly adhere to the protection of **indigenous communities’ rights** in various aspects such as justice, the environment, and the preservation of spiritual beliefs, ancestral knowledge, and languages.
When given the floor, Argentina’s plenipotentiary minister of the third commission of the permanent mission to the United Nations, **Andrea Repetti**, explained the country’s position.
## Argentina Voted Against the Resolution: The Explanation
“Argentina favors the protection of the rights of indigenous populations in their diverse cultural traditions as their cultural richness and diversity **contribute to social life**,” she said.
“However, it considers that the document up for a vote does not sufficiently guarantee access to human rights for indigenous populations without discrimination,” she added.
Additionally, she detailed the country’s position regarding the content and lack of precision in the resolution.
“The assertion of **promoting ancestral practices** may validate traditions that could clash with the fundamental rights of women and girls, or the right to health and access to scientific progress,” Repetti pointed out.
“The use of **ambiguous and broad terminologies** hinders and conflicts with universally guaranteed human rights,” she elaborated.
“Argentina celebrates the respect for the religious and cultural freedom of all individuals, always within the framework of the universality of human rights for all, and wishes to continue contributing and working towards ensuring that **guarantee becomes a reality** without any discrimination,” the official concluded.
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