Today the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) was denied accreditation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) at the 4th PrepCom meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
China once again used a no-action motion to block discussion on accreditation. 90 countries voted for China’s no-action motion, 37 countries against and 10 countries abstained. Interestingly, about 50 countries were absent at the time of voting. Pakistan and Cuba spoke in favour of China’s no-action motion, while the USA and Spain (on behalf of the EU) defended TCHRD.
China’s objection to TCHRD’s application was outlined in a letter addressed to the Secretary General Kofi Annan dated 14 May 2002. The Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN alleged in this letter that members of TCHRD were “separatists” and that “we value and support…participation of those NGOs which have made positive and concrete contributions in close cooperation with China.”