St Vincent abstained from a United Nations General Assembly resolution aimed at protecting vulnerable people globally.
SVG along with India, Nepal, Japan, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zambia opted to abstain.
The nine countries that voted against the resolution to protect the Rohingya Muslims from atrocities were Belarus, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Russia, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Despite general assembly resolutions not being legally binding, but rather reflecting world opinion, it also called on Myanmar’s government to take urgent measures to combat incitement of hatred against the Rohingya and other minorities in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states of the country.
According to media reports, nearly all Rohingya Muslims have been denied citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering them stateless, and they are also denied freedom of movement and other basic rights.
The 193-member body, which included Jamaica, voted 134-9, with 28 abstentions, on Friday, December 27, 2019 in favour of the resolution.