Increased vote at the UN General Assembly death penalty moratorium resolution- An important milestone in the path to global abolition of capital punishment

On 18 December 2014, a record number of countries – 117 –  supported the fifth UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution (A/RES/69/186) calling for a global moratorium on the use of the death penalty (resolution).

According to the UN, of its 193 member States, 117 States voted in favour of the resolution at the UNGA plenary session in New York on 18 December, while 37 countries voted against and 34 abstained. Equatorial Guinea, Suriname, Niger, Fiji, Eritrea, Kiribati and Sao Tome-Principe joined the 111 states who had voted in favour of the last resolution in December 2012.  Earlier on 21 November, 114 States voted in favour as the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee adopted the resolution. For further information, please read our statement.