Universal Periodic Review: Outcome Reports

This section will reference the ways SOGI issues were referenced in the UPR reviews of Nauru, Nepal, Lebanon, Georgia, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Myanmar, and Australia. The UPR outcomes will be covered in greater depth in the Report by COC Nederland.

NAURU

Filipo Masaurua, Senior Government Lawyer on Human Rights and Gender at the Department of Justice and Border Control of Nauru, noted Nauru supported recommendations relating to women’s rights, the rights of the child, persons with disabilities, and climate change. It also noted those on decriminalizing sexual behavior between consenting adults, and the abolition of the death penalty.

International Lesbian and Gay Association said the existence of criminalising laws was a breach of international human rights law, calling on Nauru to be true to both its Christian values and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and end the criminalisation of same-sex acts.

LEBANON

Federatie van Nederlandse Verenigingen tot Integratie Van Homoseksualiteit – COC Nederland, in a joint statement with, International Lesbian and Gay Association, said that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons were arrested and discriminated against. There was a total lack of political will to address the rights of such persons. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex refugees faced even higher risks.

NEPAL

International Lesbian and Gay Association welcomed Nepal’s efforts towards the realization of the human rights of sexual and gender minorities, and its efforts towards achieving marriage equality. Sexual and gender minorities however continued to face marginalization in law, and still faced violence in their daily life, which must be investigated.

SAINT LUCIA

Action Canada for Population and Development welcomed the acceptance by Saint Lucia of recommendations relating to non-discrimination, but regretted that Saint Lucia had noted recommendations calling for the repeal of legal provisions prohibiting and punishing consenting sexual relations between adults of the same sex.

Amnesty International urged Saint Lucia to promptly ratify core international human rights instruments. Amnesty International was concerned about cases of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and the lack of prosecution of perpetrators. Saint Lucia should also fully abolish the death penalty in law and in practice.

AUSTRALIA

John Paton Quinn, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that the recommendations that Australia received focused on immigration and asylum seekers, the rights of indigenous Australians, gender, and the rights of people with disabilities. He outlined Australia’s responses to the recommendations and the reasoning that went behind accepting or rejecting them, and reviewed domestic initiatives taken on elder abuse, a new Sex Discrimination Commissioner, family violence, women on government boards, a new Special Envoy for Human Rights, women’s rights, disability, indigenous Australians, constitutional recognition, and same-sex marriage.

International Lesbian and Gay Association, in a joint statement with, Human Rights Law Centre, expressed concern over Australia’s marriage laws, which remained a key area of inequality, and over the practice of non-therapeutic sterilization without consent. It called on Australia to ensure that change of sex on birth certificates was allowed in all its states and territories.

GEORGIA

Amnesty International welcomed Georgia’s acceptance to establish an independent and impartial mechanism to investigate crimes committed by law enforcement agencies and government officials. That aspect remained a problematic area in Georgia’s legal system, including lack of presumption of innocence and fair trial standards. The authorities also failed to prosecute crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

Pan African Union for Science and Technology pointed out that Georgia had made progress in the guarantee of civil and political rights, children’s rights, judicial independence and democratic oversight of law enforcement agencies. Progress had also been made in the area of healthcare, the penitentiary system, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

Swedish Association for Sexuality Education urged the Government of Georgia to ensure the effective implementation of sexual and reproductive rights, given current political threats to secularism, women’s emancipation and the effective protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Georgia.

MYANMAR

International Lesbian and Gay Association noted that Myanmar had not accepted the recommendation to ensure that the lesbian and gay community was protected. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons in Myanmar were often abused, sexually assaulted, suffered from arbitrary detention and were victims of State-sponsored discrimination.

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

Allied Rainbow Communities International, in a collaborative statement with Saint Kitts Alliance for Equality, United and Strong Inc and CariFLAGS noted that they remained concerned that the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis had only noted all recommendations calling for the repeal of the law that criminalized same sex sexual activity between consenting adults and penal provisions that discriminated against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

Introduction

High Level Segment

Special rapporteur on Torture

Intersectionalities of Oppression: SOGI Issues in the Work of the Special Procedures

-Special rapporteur on the right to Adequate Housing

-Special rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

-Special rapporteurs on Peaceful Assembly and Association and on Extra Judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions

-Special rapporteur on Freedom of Religion

-Special rapporteur on Cultural Rights

The Protection of the Family

The Human Rights Situation in Specific Countries

-Commission of Inquiry on Syria