UNITED NATIONS MAKES HISTORY ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY

(Geneva, June 30, 2016) – In a defining vote, the United Nationsan international organisation comprising 193 member States. It has the mission of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, providing humanitarian aid and ensuring economic and social development across the globe. It is a network of many different bodies and agencies, each of which has a particular role and responsibility. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on “Protection against violence and discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. based on sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender., and gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth.”, to mandate the appointment of an Independent Expert on the subject.

It is a historic victory for the human rights of all persons who are at risk of discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. and violence because of their sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. or gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth., 28 human rights groups said today. This resolution builds upon two previous resolutions, adopted by the Council in 2011 and 2014.

The Core Group of seven Latin American countries – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay – and 41 additional countries jointly presented the text.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 23 in favor, 18 against and 6 abstentions.

“This is truly momentous,” said Micah Grzywnowicz from the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ Rights, RFSL. “This is our opportunity to bring international attention to specific violations and challenges faced by transgender and genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. non-conforming persons in all regions. It’s time for international community to take responsibility to ensure that persons at risk of violence and discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. because of gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. are not left behind.”

“It’s an historic resolution,” added Josefina Valencia from International LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. Association for Latin America and the Caribbean, ILGA LAC. “Latin America has played a very important role to build a common course for the advancement of our human rights. We are proud of the international solidarity and the commitment shown by States for equality.”

The positive vote responds to a joint campaign of a record 628 nongovernmental organizations from 151 countries calling on the Council to adopt the resolution and create the SOGIabbreviation standing for sexual orientation and gender identity Independent Expert.

”It is important to note that around 70% of the organizations are from the global south,” said Yahia Zaidi of MantiQitna Network. “This is a powerful cross regional message of strength to the United Nationsan international organisation comprising 193 member States. It has the mission of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, providing humanitarian aid and ensuring economic and social development across the globe. It is a network of many different bodies and agencies, each of which has a particular role and responsibility. to protect the rights of LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. persons. The Independent Expert will be a focal point for all violations based on SOGIabbreviation standing for sexual orientation and gender identity and hence help grassroots organizations to better utilize the otherwise complex labyrinth of the UN system.”

The Expert will be tasked with assessing implementation of existing international human rights lawa legal system laying down obligations which States are bound to respect. By becoming parties to international treaties, States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, protect and fulfil human rights – including by putting into place domestic measures and legislation. Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints or communications are available at the regional and international levels to help ensure that international human rights standards are respected., identifying best practices and gaps, raising awareness of violence and discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. based on sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. and gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth., engaging in dialogue and consultation with States and other stakeholders, and facilitating provision of advisory services, technical assistance, capacity-building and cooperation to help address violence and discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. on these grounds.

“To have an Independent Expert can be a ‘game-changer’ in counter-acting violence which fuels the HIV epidemic in key populations and more specifically in LGBT communities,” said Alain Kra of Espace Confiance.

“It will ease the work of all human rights defenders and it is essential for our governments and people to have the knowledge on how to protect LGBT communities from any violence and discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. they face,” added Joleen Mataele of the Tonga Leiti’s Association.

Although a number of hostile amendments seeking to introduce notions of cultural relativism were adopted into the text by vote, the core of the resolution affirming the universal nature of international human rights lawa legal system laying down obligations which States are bound to respect. By becoming parties to international treaties, States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, protect and fulfil human rights – including by putting into place domestic measures and legislation. Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints or communications are available at the regional and international levels to help ensure that international human rights standards are respected. stood firm.

We hope that this resolution will mark a turning point in the struggle to create a world free from violence and discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. for all people regardless of sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. and gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth..

Results of the vote

Voting in favor of the resolution

Albania, Belgium, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Macedonia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, UK, Venezuela, Viet Nam

Voting against the resolution

Algeria, Bangladesh, Burundi, China, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Morocco, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Togo, United Arab Emirates

Abstaining on the resolution

Botswana, Ghana, India, Namibia, Philippines, South Africa

Press contacts

1. Access Chapter
2. AIDES France
3. Amnesty International
4. ARC International / Arvind Narrain
5. Clóset de Sor Juana AC
6. Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
7. Espacio de Mujeres Lesbianas Salvadoreñas por la Diversidad (ESMULES)
8. Federatie van Nederlandse Verenigingen tot Integratie van Homoseksualiteit – COC Nederland / Alexander Hammelburg
9. Foundation for SOGIabbreviation standing for sexual orientation and gender identity Rights and Justice (FORSOGI), Thailand
10. FRI, the Norwegian Organisation for Sexual and Genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. Diversity
11. GALANG Philippines
12. GATE – Global Action for Transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.* Equality / Mauro Cabral
13. Human Rights Law Centre
14. Human Rights Watch / John Fisher
15. Iranti-org / Jabu Periera
16. International Commission of Jurists
17. ILGA LAC, Asociación Internacional de Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales, Transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. e Intersexuales para América Latina y el Caribe. / Paul Caballero
18. International Lesbianadjective/noun to describe a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves., Gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
    attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
    term to describe themselves., Bisexualadjective used to describe a person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of other genders., Transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. and Intersexan umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population are born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings - and discriminated against. Association (ILGA) / André du Plessis 
19. Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO)
20. LGBT Denmark – the National Organization for Gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
    attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
    term to describe themselves. Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgendered People
21. MantiQitna Network / Yahia Zaidi /
22. OutRight Action International / Jessica Stern
23. Pacific Sexual Diversity Network
24. Pan Africa ILGA / Monica Tabengwa
25. Proyecto Arcoiris, colectivo anticapitalista e independiente
26. Samoa Faafafine Association
27. Swedish Federation for LGBTQ Rights (RFSL) – Micah Grzywnowicz
28. TLF Share Collective – Philippines
29. Tonga Leitis Association