Further Progress on Death Penalty Shown by Vote in Third Committee of General Assembly

The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty. This is the fourth such resolution since 2007. Each time, the number of States voting in favour of the resolution has increased.
Yesterday, 110 States voted in favour, compared with votes in the Third Committee of 107 in 2010, 105 in 2008 and 99 in 2007. The number of States opposing the resolution yesterday was 39, up one from 2010, but still dramatically down from 48 in 2008 and 52 in 2007. Niger and Tunisia joined the Yes camp yesterday, while Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan and Indonesia abstained. South Sudan, which only joined the United Nations last year, voted Yes.
Here are the full results of the votes in the Third Committee in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
The next stage in the process is a vote in the plenary General Assembly in December. Based on previous experience, it is to be expected that the number of Yes votes will increase yet again.
This is all further evidence of the global trend towards reduction and abolition of the death penalty.