Join the #RenewIESOGI campaign for the second time and support the second renewal of the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity!

The Independent Expert on SOGI helps the United Nations listen to our communities and take action against violence and discrimination. Watch this video to learn more, and mobilise to see this work continue! 

Subtitles available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Swedish, and Italian (more languages available soon).
Scroll down to read a transcription of this video.

#RenewIESOGI again in 2022!

Do you remember 2019? Our lives had not been rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic yet. We also celebrated a historic human rights victory for all of us.

It was in 2019 when the United Nations once again said it loud and clear: we need to continue listening to the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and gender diverse  people worldwide, and take action against the human rights violations they face.

It did this by renewing for the first time the mandate of the Independent Expert on the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, or SOGI.

And how can the UN and the whole world keep doing this, exactly? It’s simple: by renewing the mandate once again.

Human rights experts who hold this mandate research, examine, and shine a light on the lived realities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse people around the world.

With this information, they collaborate with other UN and regional mechanisms, and they build constructive dialogues with States - assisting them to create policies and take action that better protects our communities.

These experts can visit your country, meet authorities, and speak to LGBT activists and survivors of human rights violations.

An Independent Expert is easier to reach than you might think, and your contribution is so important! You are the expert of what happens to our communities on the ground!

The information you give helps highlight individual cases through urgent appeals to States, and contributes to reports that are presented at the United Nations.

Through this work, since 2016, the world has heard more about the impact of criminalisation, the need to legally recognise a person's gender, the barriers to social inclusion and the importance of data related to LGBT lives, the harm caused by so-called ‘conversion therapy’, and so much more.

In 2016, the mandate became a reality. Like any other similar mandate , it needs to be renewed periodically.

As the Expert continues to work, more and more organisations from all regions add their voices to this extraordinary call: RENEW!

No human being should face violence, discrimination, torture, stigmatisation and abuse because of who they are. Lives are at stake. And all States have a duty to protect the human rights of everyone, everywhere.

So, what can YOU do to make sure the mandate is renewed?

Mobilise your local community: let them know why it's important that the Independent Expert on SOGI continues to exist!
Join our global family: from all over the world, we must make sure that our voices continue to be heard.