In 2007, the World Coalition made one of the most important decisions in its young history: to support the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty as a step towards universal abolition.
A moratorium is temporary suspension of executions and, more rarely, of death sentences. It is provisional and often depends on the will of a key decision maker (president, minister of justice...). Conversely, abolition is permanent as enshrined in law.
Several attempts to pass a resolution against the death penalty at the UN General Assembly at the end of the 20th century had failed.

“The use of the death penalty undermines human dignity”

In 2007, however, the momentum was different because a trend towards the universal abolition had begun. Two-thirds of the world’s countries had abolished the death penalty or ceased to apply it, and the number of executions declined each year. The time had come to encourage a majority of states to adopt the principle that “the use of the death penalty undermines human dignity“ and to call “upon all States that still maintain the death penalty to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolish the death penalty”.
This decision also marked the launch of the World Coalition’s first international advocacy campaign directed towards states and international organizations.
The Coalition participated actively in the efforts for the adoption of the resolution by dedicating the 2007 World Day Against the Death Penalty to this issue. It collected more than 160,000 signatures on a petition and lobbied 105 countries. On December 18, 2007, the resolution was passed with the support of 104 UN members states, while 54 voted against and 29 abstained.
In 2008, the Coalition led a campaign to increase support for the new resolution and to ensure its implementation. A fresh vote on December 18, 2008 showed increasing support for the moratorium: 106 countries voted in favour, 48 against and 34 abstained.
Since then, the movement for abolition has grown larger and larger. More states have abolished the death penalty, more moratoria on executions have been implemented and proposals for abolition in law have multiplied throughout the world.
With the prospect of a new vote coming up in late 2010, the World Coalition and its members are again turning their attention to New York.