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INFO NOTE ON UN SPECIAL PROCEDURES – APRIL 2020

This is the 30th monthly info note by ILGA World on UN Special Procedures and sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).

This issue includes:

Call for inputs: African Descent; Arbitrary Detention; Cultural Rights; Environment; Freedom of Expression; Independence of Judges and Lawyers; Migrants; Minority Issues; Racism; Violence against Women; Water and Sanitation

Upcoming country visits: Denmark, Maldives, Mexico, Paraguay.

 

 Independent Expert on SOGI: Open letter on Covid-19 to the LGBT community 

“This day, more than any other, I write these words with the sincere hope that this letter finds you well. I would like to express my solidarity with all of you, and acknowledge the unprecedented challenges that we are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For some weeks now we have been dealing with shock, uncertainty, loss and anguish. I suspect that many of us share the disconcerting notion that this crisis will not pass quickly, and that we might be living through a significant change of the world as we know it. […].

I am also eager to do my bit, by supporting you in any way possible, which might include the amplification of your voice and your lived experience. If you feel that this might prove to be useful, please do not hesitate to help me better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affects your communities, how it impacts on your lives, your rights, and your freedoms, and I am also eager to hear if there are any other ways in which you think the mandate can contribute to supporting you through these uncertain times.”

Victor Madrigal-Borloz

Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity


Read the full letter in 
EnglishSpanish or French.

 Join ILGA World in supporting LBTI communities 

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women published two new calls for input:

  • On COVID-19 and the increase of domestic and gender-based violence against women (deadline 30 June 2020)
  • On rape as a grave and systematic human rights violation against women (deadline 20 May 2020)

ILGA World is collecting information on these two topics from all over the world to submit joint reports to the Special Rapporteur.

If you have any data on the situation of LBTI women/persons in your country or if you want to share information on initiatives organized by civil society to support LBTI women/persons during the COVID crisis – please reach out to us on [email protected]. Let’s do it together! 

 

 

Call for inputs

 

 

Mandate Call Deadline Additional Info
Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression Call for inputs: report on academic freedom and freedom of opinion and expression (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 30 Apr 2020 Read more
NEW!!! Working Group on People of African descent Call for inputs: mid-term review of the International Decade for people of African descent 30 Apr 2020 Read more
NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on cultural rights Call for inputs: report on cultural rights and climate change (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 1 May 2020 EN | ES | FR
NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Call for inputs: report on the disciplinary, civil and criminal liability of judges (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 4 May 2020 EN | ES | FR
Special Rapporteur on racism Call for inputs: report on race, borders, and digital technologies (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 15 May 2020 Read More
NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on migrants Call for inputs: report on ending immigration detention of children and seeking adequate reception and care for them (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 15 May 2020 EN | FR

Questionnaire

EN | ES | FR

NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on violence against women Call for submissions: report on rape as a grave and systematic human rights violation and gender-based violence against women (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 20 May 2020 Read More
NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation  Call for inputs: good practices related to “different levels and types of services”, “gender equality”, “development cooperation”, “affordability”, “service regulation”, “forcibly displaced persons”, “principle of accountability”, “spheres of life beyond the household”, and “mega-projects”  29 May 2020 Questionnaire

EN | ES | FR

NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on environment Call for inputs: healthy ecosystems and human rights: sustaining the foundations of life (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 31 May 2020 EN | ES | FR

Questionnaire

EN | ES | FR

NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on minorities Call for inputs: categories of minorities (national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities) (to be presented to the 75th GA session in September 2020) 31 May 2020 EN | ES | FR
NEW!!! Working Group on Arbitrary Detention  Call for inputs: questionnaire for the study on arbitrary detention relating to drug policies (to be presented to the 47th HRC session)  15 Jun 2020 EN | ES | FR
NEW!!! Special Rapporteur on violence against women Call for submissions: COVID-19 and the increase of domestic violence against women 30 Jun 2020 EN | ES | FR | RU

 

 = requests information on LGBTI persons.

Country visits by the Independent Expert on SOGI

The UN Independent Expert on SOGI, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, undertakes 1 to 3 fact-finding country visits per year.

He visited Ukraine in 2019, and Georgia and Mozambique in 2018. In 2017, his predecessor Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn visited Argentina.

In March 2018, Victor Madrigal-Borloz made 12 country visit requests. On 4 July 2018 Malta invited the Independent Expert to visit their country. The Independent Expert also requested a visit to Japan (8 October 2019), Tunisia (19 November 2019), India and Colombia (both 7 January 2020), and Cambodia (28 March 2020).

In this section, you may find information about current status of the requests. Up-to-date information about country visits may be found here.

If your country is planned for the Independent Expert’s visit and you wish to engage with ILGA World on this, please contact us ([email protected]).

 

 

Country Current Status
Argentina* Visit conducted on 1-10 Mar 2017.

End of Mission Statement: English – Spanish

Press Release: English – Spanish

Country visit report: E / F / S / A / C / R

Armenia* Request to postpone (17 Apr 2018)
Burkina Faso Reminder visit request – for 2021 (17 Jan 2020)
Cambodia NEW!!! Visit requested for the first quarter of 2021 (28 Mar 2020)
Colombia* Visit request (7 Jan 2020)
Georgia* Visit conducted on 25 Sep to 5 Oct 2018.

End of Mission Statement: English – Georgian

Press Release: English – Georgian

Country visit report: E / F / S / A / C / R

Ghana* Reminder visit request – for 2021 (7 Jan 2020)
India* Visit request (7 Jan 2020)
Japan* Visit request for second half of 2020 (8 Oct 2019)
Kenya* Reminder visit request – for 2021 (7 Jan 2020)
Malta* Invitation Country Visit (4 Jul 2018)
Nepal Reminder visit request – for 2020 (7 Jan 2020)
Mozambique* Visit conducted on 3-10 Dec 2018.

End of Mission Statement: English – Portuguese

Press Release: English – Portuguese

Country visit report: E / F / S / A / C / R

Poland* Reminder visit request – for 2020 (7 Jan 2020)
Sri Lanka* Request to postpone to 2020 (2 Oct 2019).

Background note

Thailand* Reminder visit request – for 2020 (7 Jan 2020)
Tunisia* Visit request from 6-17 Apr 2020 (19 Nov 2019)
Ukraine* Visit conducted on 30 Apr to 10 May 2019.

End of Mission Statement: English

Press Release: English – Russian

 

* Countries with standing invitations. A standing invitation is an open invitation extended by a Government to all thematic special procedures. By extending a standing invitation States announce that they will always accept requests to visit from all Special Procedures.

 

 

Upcoming country visits by other mandates

Country Mandate Dates
 Denmark  Cultural Rights  24 Apr-7 May 2020
Mexico Trafficking 11-19 May 2020
NEW!!! Paraguay Minorities 3-14 Aug 2020
Mexico Internally dispaced person 5-13 Oct 2020
NEW!!! Maldives  Torture  1-10 Nov 2020

 

 = Mandate frequently considers LGBTI issues.