define('DISALLOW_FILE_MODS',true); 19th session

19th session

Geneva, 27 February – 23 March 2012

In a resolution at its 17th session (A/HRC/RES/17/19) the Human Rights Council requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, to prepare a study on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity.

The 25-page report documents discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, in all regions of the world, and outlines how international human rights law can be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The findings of the report are due to be presented and discussed by governments at an expert-led panel at the Human Rights Council at this session.  This will be the first UN debate specifically on human rights relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, and is expected to include discussions of what might be appropriate follow up to the report.

ARC is co-hosting with the ICJ an NGO roundtable to raise awareness of sexual orientation and gender identity issues on Monday, 5 March. Titled “LGBT Issues for the Curious: (Almost) Everything you Wanted to Know about Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity but were too Diplomatic to Ask”, the roundtable affords an opportunity for LGBT human rights defenders from all regions to share their perspectives with diplomats.  We are particularly pleased that Margaret Sekaggya, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, has agreed to open the discussion.

Links

1. Report of the High Commissioner – Study documenting discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity – English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, German1
a). Backgrounder (Français, Español)
b). NGO Press Release (Français, Español)
c). UN Press Release

2. HRC Panel on ending violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
a) Backgrounder (Français, Español)
b) Backgrounder on gender identity in English, French and Spanish – click here
c) NGO Press release
d) UN video archive
e) OHCHR summary of the panel
f) NGO statements:

i) Joint NGO statement, delivered by Linda Baumann
ii) Statement by the ICJ and Amnesty International, on international law and SOGI, delivered by Alli Jernow
iii) Statement on gender identity, delivered by Justus Eisfeld
iv) Statement by a group of African LGBT human rights defenders, delivered by Kasha Jacqueline

3. UN website – 19th session of the Human Rights Council

4. Advocacy document: Addressing human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the 19th session of the Human Rights Council (PDF).

5. Flyer for the NGO roundtable (Français, Español)

 

 


1. German translation, courtesy of Sandra-Isabell Trautner,  has been reviewed and approved by the UN