International body allows homosexual benefits: UN recognizes gay employees

February 2004

(AP) - Acknowledging a growing trend, Secretary-General Kofi Annan decided Thursday that United Nations staffers can receive benefits for their gay or lesbian partners if their country of nationality recognizes same-sex marriages or domestic partnerships.

The decision, which will apply to staffers from less than a dozen countries, was welcomed by the U.N. gay and lesbian rights organization. The group said it has campaigned for many years for equal entitlements for same-sex partners.

"We think it's terrific," said Susan Allee, a founder of GLOBE, the U.N. organization for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. "We're thrilled. ... It's a very positive development for gay and lesbian staff members at the U.N.

and, incidentally, for straight people who have been living in committed partnerships recognized by their own governments."             The Netherlands is the only country to recognize same-sex marriages, but a number of countries recognize domestic partnerships, including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and France, said U.N.

associate spokeswoman Marie Okabe. Germany and Belgium do as well, Allee said.

The existing U.N. policy "penalized staff members whose partnerships were recognized in their own countries because as soon as they started working for the United Nations, they lost that recognition and the benefits," she said.

The new policy, which takes effect Feb. 1, was outlined in a bulletin from Annan to the more than 5,000 U.N. staff members worldwide.

It states that "family status for the purposes of entitlements" will be determined using the long-established principle that such matters should be decided by the staffer's nationality.

A legally recognized marriage or domestic partnership will "qualify that staff member to receive the entitlements provided for eligible family members," the directive said.

By providing U.N. benefits only to nationals whose countries provide similar benefits, diplomats said Annan sought to avoid any confrontation with the vast majority of the 191 U.N. member states that don't offer any benefits to gay or lesbian couples.

"This decision will continue to ensure respect for the social, religious and cultural diversity of the member states and of their nationals," Annan's directive said.

But the new policy will create two classes of gays and lesbians _ those entitled to benefits, and those barred because of their nationality.

It wasn't clear how many of the 14,000 staff members in the U.N. Secretariat would be able to apply for benefits under the new policy.

"I'm told that it's expected to be a small number," Okabe said, a view echoed by Allee.

Okabe said it was Annan's decision to look into the issue of domestic partnerships and same-sex marriages.

The directive "acknowledged this trend that has been occurring in several member states," she said. "We simply wanted to be in line with that."

Allee said the directive brings the U.N. policy on same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships as well as opposite-sex domestic partnerships into line with the longstanding U.N. policy on common law marriage. That policy recognized common law marriage if it was recognized in the staff member's country, she said.