The measure, co-sponsored by 103 countries, including all Western nations as well as Rwanda, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, was approved by consensus, without a vote. Iran disassociated itself from the action, calling the resolution a political exercise Israel would exploit against Palestinians. But at least 22 nations left their seats empty in the assembly hall, including Bolivia, Chile and Columbia, who were also co-sponsors. Others not attending or sponsoring included Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, and even Cambodia, itself a victim of genocide.
The resolution A/61/L.53 "condemns without any reservation any denial of the Holocaust" and "urges all member States unreservedly to reject any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, or any activities to this end".
Friday's resolution was timed to coincide with the General Assembly's decision in November 2005 to mark January 27 as the International Day of Commemoration of the Holocaust.
In its preliminary paragraphs, the resolution points to "efforts to deny the Holocaust, which by ignoring the historical fact of these terrible events increase the risk they will be repeated". Even if Iran is not mentioned by name, the text is clearly aimed at a Teheran conference convened in December by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, where most speakers expressed doubts about the Nazis' mass extermination of Jews.
Middle East nations were not among the co-sponsors. But Egypt's UN ambassador, Maged Abedelaziz, said while he agreed with the resolution the world should also speak out against rising "Islamophobia".