Topic: Rights of Lesbian and Gay Individuals
Country: China
Delegate Name: Melanie Kruvelis
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All China position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
The People's Republic of China recognizes international concern over the rights of gay and lesbian individuals. This concern is warranted to some extent, but we must remember, as a body, that all nations are sovereign, and the international community must respect that intrinsic right.
For the past thirty years, our nation has made strides towards decriminalizing gay and lesbian relations. Regarding homosexuality, sodomy was decriminalized in 1997, and the new Chinese Classification and Diagnostic Criteria of Mental Disorders removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 2001. The pace at which we are progressing is at the discretion of the government, and international pressure should be limited.
The People’s Republic of China believes any action to revise the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to include homosexual rights would impede upon national sovereignty. This choice in lifestyle is contradictory to many religious beliefs, some of which nations are based off of.
The People’s Republic of China has taken strides, however, in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. In 2003, the Chinese government began a program that promotes educational campaigns and HIV testing outreach projects. This movement came into legal effect in 2004, when State Council Document Number 7 instructed local governments to"integrate HIV/AIDS into the routine government agenda as an important item … and urgently and effectively respond to HIV/AIDS, which is a priority linked to the interest and benefit of China and its people". International public health experts, including UNAIDS and the WHO, have commended the Chinese government for its recently implemented HIV prevention and treatment programs.
The People’s Republic of China would like to urge this committee to work on establishing HIV awareness and prevention programs, in accordance with Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), rather than draft international legistature that on the topic of LGBT rights that would greatly infringe upon national sovereignty.
