Recognition of LGBT NGOS by the United Nation

The rejection by the ECOSOC Committee on Non-governmental Organizations of the applications of four LGBT organizations, including ILGA, for consultative status in 2006 has underlined that many states are not even willing to give LGBT people the right to speak at the UN. In the course of 2005 and ILGA organized a campaign for eleven LGBT associations from Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America to apply for ECOSOC status. ILGA was denied this right in July 2006 by the full ECOSOC, in spite of the strong case made in their favour by some government officials. The Danish association LBL, ILGA-Europe and the German LSVD will be voted on again by ECOSOC later this year. This panel will give the various organizations involved in the ECOSOC process an opportunity to shed some light on the issues and provide a forum for debate on the rights and presence of LGBT people at the UN.

Friday 6 October 2006 : from 2 to 3 PM. Palais des Nations, 2nd session of the UN Human Rights Council Side Event

A panel organised by ILGA, the International Lesbian and Gay Association. In collaboration with the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education and RFSL, the Swedish Gay and Lesbian Federation.


With the financial support of the Swedish Foreign Office


Chair
Janfrans Var der Eerden, COC

Speakers
Click on their names to read the speeches. Audio material sometimes available.

This is the first time in twelve years that ECOSOC is not closing the NGO Committee chapter. So, in a sense, we have taken issue here that the UN will have to deal with.
Philipp Braun, LSVD, Germany and ILGA’s Co-Secretary General

We have consultative status at the Council of Europe (…). So from our perspective, we think that we have good standing; and our expertise contribution as an NGO is recognized throughout all of the key European institutions. We applied to have status at ECOSOC (…)
Jackie Lewis, Unison, UK

Avec le langage onusien, tout est toujours très poli, mais c'est ce qui est sous-jacent derrière leurs questions qui est important…
Yvan Lapointe, Coalition Gaie et Lesbienne du Quebec

These struggles at the ECOSOC are a bit of a microcosm of the struggles currently being faced within the United Nations system as a whole.
John Fisher, ARC International

The end of discrimination starts with dialogue with the States, showing them the situations where LGBT persons’ human rights are violated, the absurdity of these situations and the need to apply laws and resolutions equally to all persons
Beto de Jesús, Instituto Neris, Brazil