The News Minute | March 25, 2015 | 4.09 pm IST

India joined 42 others countries in supporting a Russia drafted resolution that would withdraw UN benefits to the LGBTQ employees of the world body.

On Tuesday, the 193-member United Nations General Assembly Fifth Committee voted on a resolution in which Russia proposed to withdraw benefits to staff members who belonged to the LGBTQ community. 

As many as 37 countries abstained from voting while 33 countries did not vote. The resolution was opposed by 80 countries, thus defeating it. Some of the other countries who also voted supported the resolution include Bahrain, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Malaysia, Iraq, Iran, Quwait, Saudia Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, UAE, Zimbabwe.

In June 2014, the UN had introduced a new policy in which it would extend staff benefits to LGBTQ employees regardless of their nationality. Until then, the UN only extended employee benefits to countries in which homosexuality was legal. Russia had decriminalized homosexuality in the 1990s.

The Supreme Court overturned the Delhi High Court’s ruling decriminalizing homosexuality in 2014. Following the vote on Tuesday, India became one of 43 countries to support Russia’s resolution, which would impact 40,000 employees of the UN across the world.