HRC session 46 (February - March 2021) - ILGA World's engagement

 

HRC 46 - 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

Geneva, 22 February to 23 March 2021
ILGA World's involvement at the 46th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC)

Reports:

  • summary of SOGIESC remarks during the high-level segment at the 46th Human Rights Council session

In this section:

Statements at the HRC

  • Biennal high-level panel discussion on the issue of the death penalty
  • Item 2 - General debate
  • Item 3 - Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of people with disabilities
  • Item 4 - General debate on human rights situations that require the Council's attention
  • Item 5 - General debate on human rights bodies and mechanisms (forum on minority issues)
  • Item 9 - General debate on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance
  • Item 10 - General debate on technical assistanve and capacity building

Side events

  • Intersectional human rights framework: LGBTI and disability

Adoption of UPR outcomes

  • Bulgaria
  • Honduras
  • Liberia
  • Panama
  • United States

Statements at the HRC


BIENNIAL HIGH-LEVEL PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE ISSUE OF THE DEATH PENALTY

The 46th UN Human Rights Council held its high-level panel discussion on the question of the death penalty. In a joint statement with Choice for Youth and Outright Action International, we called on States to abolish the death penalty, which continues to be used also "to punish consensual sex, love and intimacy between same-sex adults, as well as sex work or sex outside of marriage."

Click here to read the statement.


ITEM 2 - GENERAL DEBATE

In this joint statement - delivered with Outright Action International, RFSL and ISHR, we highlighted how lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex persons have been among the groups suffering disproportionate impacts from the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic.

Click here to read the statement.



ITEM 3 – GENERAL DEBATE

During the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of People with Disabilities, we highlighted how "ableism, combined with prejudice against LGBTI people, contributes to stigmatisation of our bodies, minds, sexualities, gender identities and expressions." The statement was delivered by Margherita Coppolino and prepared in consultation with ILGA Oceania and Matthew Bowden.

Click here to read the full statement.


 

ITEM 4 - GENERAL DEBATE ON HUMAN RICHTS SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE THE COUNCIL'S ATTENTION

Myanmar, Ghana, Turkey, Honduras are just some of the countries where we have witnessed human rights violations against LGBTI people in the past few months. We urged the UN Human Rights Council to take action on protecting the human rights of LGBTI people across the regions.

Click here to read the full statement.

 

ITEM 5 GENERAL DEBATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS BODIES AND MECHANISMS (FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES)

LGBTI people are among the populations who are particularly vulnerable to hate speech on social media platforms. The continued harassment aims at intimidating our communities back into silence and hampers access to the digital world. During this general debate, we discussed the Forum on Minority Issues’ recommendations to tackle hate speech on social media.

Click here to read the full statement.

 

ITEM 9 - GENERAL DEBATE RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED FORMS OF INTOLERANCE

In this joint statement together with ILGA-Europe, we pointed out how Covid-19 is exacerbating the structural inequalities and racism that prevail in many regions of the world, and that is the legacy of decades of slavery and colonialism.

Click here to read the full statement.

 

ITEM 10 GENERAL DEBATE - TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING

During the 46th UN Human Rights Council, we shared the latest examples of good practices and progressive measures taken to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex persons' rights: the new penal code of Angola decriminalising consensual same-sex relations, New Zealand committing to boost mental health services for LGBTI youth, and more.

Click here to read the full statement.

 

Side events

INTERSECTIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK: LGBTI AND DISABILITY

The event exploreed specific challenges faced by LGBTI persons with disabilities, map the gaps in their human rights protection, and identify possible ways to ensure the full protection of LGBTI persons with disabilities’ human rights.

The debate featured UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Gerard Quinn, UN Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity Victor Madrigal-Borloz, and human rights defenders working on intersections of SOGIESC and disability.

Adoption of UPR outcomes

BULGARIA

In a statement drafted in consultation with the Bulgarian LGBTI organization “DEYSTVIE”, we thanked the States which made 14 recommendations to the Bulgarian Government during the Universal Periodic Review with respect to rights of the LGBTI community in the country. Nine of these recommendations urged the State to amend the Penal Code of Bulgaria to include criminalisation of LGBTI-based hate crimes.

Click here to read the full statement.

 

HONDURAS

In this statement, drafted in consultation with Red Lésbica Cattrachas, we pointed out how Honduras received 16 recommendations on SOGIESC issues during its latest Universal Periodic Review. The country has the highest rate of violent LGBTI deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a 91% of impunity, and the population faces constitutional and legal limitations based on sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity.

Click here to read the full statement.

 

 

LIBERIA

In this statement, made in consultation with the Transgender Network of Liberia and with LEGAL Association Liberia, we regretted that Liberia noted all the recommendations it received on SOGIESC issues during the latest Universal Periodic Review.

Click here to read the full statement.

PANAMA

In this statement, made in consultation with CIMUF, we welcome the 18 recommendations made to Panama on LGBTI issues on the latest Universal Review for the country, but regretted that Panama only accepted 4 of them.

Click here to read the full statement.

UNITED STATES

In a statement prepared with Human Rights Campaign, we highlighted how "despite significant steps, LGBTQ individuals in the United States still lack basic legal protections in many jurisdictions", raising awareness of the "national crisis" that is the current epidemic of violence against trans people.

Click here to read the full statement.