European Union Initiative on Death Penalty not pursued in the UN General Assembly

The EU initiative concerning capital punishment will not be pursued in this year´s UN General Assembly. The initiative attracted considerable support but also serious opposition. A total of 17 amendments had been presented that would have wrecked the resolution. In this situation the EU and other supporters decided not to pursue the initiative now. EU presented this year for the first time a draft resolution on capital punishment in the UN General Assembly. The initiative contained an appeal for a moratorium of executions. The draft was supported by more than 70 countries, which the EU views as quite a positive outcome. The initiative was part of the EU´s campaign for the universal abolition of the death penalty, which is an important part of the Union´s human rights policy. The campaign will be pursued actively.