UN Recognizes Same-Sex Marriages

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon yesterday announced that UN employees who have legally married will have those unions recognized even if their home countries don't.

Under the new policy staff who have married a same-sex spouse in a jurisdiction will receive the same benefits and recognition as those in heterosexual marriages regardless of whether same-sex marriage is legal in their country of citizenship. The United Nations LGBTI employee group UN-GLOBE welcomed the policy change, saying they hoped it will be recognized throughout the many arms and programs. "With this new policy in place at the UN, I believe that the entire UN system will follow suit, if history is any guide. And if any agency, fund or programme still refuses to change, we will make sure they hear from us,"UN-GLOBE president Hyung Hak Nam said.

Ban Ki-Moon: "I am proud to stand for greater equality for all staff, and I call on all members of our UN family to unite in rejecting homophobia as discrimination that can never be tolerated at our workplace."