INFO NOTE ON UN SPECIAL PROCEDURES – SEPTEMBER 2019
This is the 23rd monthly info note by ILGA on UN Special Procedures and sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).
This issue includes:
Call for inputs: African Descent; Disability; Hazardous substances and wastes; Indigenous people; Minority issues; Racism; Sale of children; Slavery; Violence against women; Water and sanitation
Upcoming country visits: Azerbaijan; Benin; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; Bulgaria; Ecuador; Gambia; Greece; Italy; Malaysia; Netherlands; Nigeria; Norway; Qatar; Peru; Republic of the Congo; South Africa; Spain; Switzerland; Tuvalu; Uzbekistan; Zimbabwe.
Download the September 2019 info note on Special Procedures
as a PDF file
Call for inputs
| Mandate | Call | Deadline | Additional Info |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation | Private Sector Participation: Online bilateral consultations on 18 and 25 Sep, and 2 and 19 Oct (sign-up), a questionnaire (will be available in early Oct), and other opportunities. | 31 Dec 2019 (for the questionnaire) | Read more |
| Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation | Call for submissions: Country visit to Benin (29 Nov-12 Dec Oct 2019) | 15 Sep 2019 | Read more |
| Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes | Call for submissions: Country visit to Brazil (2-13 Dec 2019) | 15 Sep 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance | Call for submissions: Country visit to the Netherlands (30 Sep-7 Oct 2019) | 21 Sep 2019 | Read more |
| Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples | Call for submissions: Country visit to the Republic of the Congo (14-24 Oct 2019) | 25 Sep 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities | Questionnaire on “Bioethics and Disabilities” – Call for submissions (for the thematic report to be presented at 43rd HRC session in Mar 2020) | 30 Sep 2019 | Read more
Questionnaire |
 Special Rapporteur on violence against women |
Call for submissions: Country visit to Bulgaria (14-21 Oct 2019) | 30 Sep 2019 | Read more |
| Special Rapporteur on violence against women | Call for submissions: Country visit to Ecuador (29 Nov-9 Dec 2019) | 30 Sep 2019 | Read more |
| Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children | Call for input for the upcoming report “Looking back, Looking forward” | 30 Sep 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on minority issues | Call for Submissions: Education, Language and the Human Rights of Minorities (for the thematic report to be presented at 43rd HRC session in Mar 2020) | 3 Oct 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent | Call for submissions: Country visit to Ecuador (14-18 Oct 2019) | 7 Oct 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children |
Call for submissions: Country visit to Gambia (21-29 Oct 2019) | 14 Oct 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery | Call for submissions: Country visit to Qatar (13-20 Jan 2020) | 15 Oct 2019 | Read more |
= 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.
In 2019, he is visiting Ukraine and Sri Lanka.
In 2018, he visited Georgia and Mozambique.
In 2017, his predecessor Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn visited Argentina.
In March 2018, Victor Madrigal-Borloz made 12 country visit requests, and in this section you may find information about current status of the requests. Additionally, on 4 July 2018 Malta invited the Independent Expert to visit their country.
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 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 April 2018) |
| Burkina Faso | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Cambodia | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| 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* | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Kenya* | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Malta* | Invitation Country Visit (4 Jul 2018) |
| Nepal | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| 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* | Request to postpone (15 May 2018) |
| Sri Lanka* | Visit to be conducted on 28 Oct to 8 Nov 2019. Background note |
| Thailand* | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| 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
This information is regularly updated by the OHCHR here. To find out how you can support the visits, please contact the respective mandate-holder at their email, available here.
| Country | Mandate | Dates |
| Norway | Environment | 12-23 Sep 2019 |
| South Africa | Albinism | 16-26 Sep 2019 |
| NEW! Tuvalu | Cultural Rights |
16-27 Sep 2019 |
| Ecuador | Health |
17-26 Sep 2019 |
| Nigeria | Housing |
17-26 Sep 2019 |
| Zimbabwe | Freedom of assembly and association |
NEW! 17-27 Sep 2019 |
| Uzbekistan | Independence of judges and lawyers | 19-26 Sep 2019 |
| Switzerland | Development | 23 Sep – 2 Oct 2019 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Migrants | 24 Sep – 1 Oct 2019 |
| NEW! Netherlands | Racism | 30 Sep-7 Oct 2019 |
| NEW! Azerbaijan | Food | 1-11 Oct 2019 |
| Norway | Disability | 2-11 Oct 2019 |
| NEW! Ecuador | African Descent | 14-18 Oct 2019 |
| Bulgaria | Violence against women |
14-21 Oct 2019 |
| Republic of the Congo | Indigenous Peoples | 14-24 Oct 2019 |
| Gambia | Sale and sexual exploitation of children |
21-29 Oct 2019 |
| NEW! Brazil | Albinism | 28 Oct-8 Nov 2019 |
| Qatar | Arbitrary detention | 3-14 Nov 2019 |
| Qatar | Racism |
24 Nov – 1 Dec 2019 |
| Ecuador | Violence against women |
29 Nov – 9 Dec 2019 |
| Benin | Water and sanitation |
29 Nov – 12 Dec 2019 |
| Brazil | Toxic waste | 2-13 Dec 2019 |
| Greece | Arbitrary detention | 2-13 Dec 2019 |
| NEW! Qatar | Slavery | 13-20 Jan 2020 |
| Peru | Human rights defenders |
21 Jan – 3 Feb 2020 |
| NEW! Italy | Food | 22-31 Jan 2020 |
| Spain | Extreme poverty |
27 Jan – 7 Feb 2020 |
| Malaysia | Freedom of religion |
26 Mar – 8 Apr 2020 |
= Mandate frequently considers LGBTI issues.