Launch of the report of the joint dialogue on sexual orientation and gender identity

The report which you can access through the links below in English and French was launched today at a special event held during the 58th Ordinary Session of the African Commission. (See web stories at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/UnitedtoendviolenceLGBTI.aspx and http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2016/april/20160417_OHCHR). The dialogue and report are the result of a two-year process of engagement and dialogue between the mechanisms, based on the advances in each system, which was facilitated by UNAIDS and OHCHR. 

  
The joint dialogue which is summarised in the report was attended by 10 members of the African Commission and chaired by its Chairperson, Commissioner Zainabo Sylvie Kayitesi. The Inter-American Commission was represented by its Chairperson, Commissioner Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, the Rapporteur on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, Commissioner Tracy Robinson and the Deputy Executive Secretary, Ms Elizabeth Abi-Mershed. The UN human rights system was represented by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Professor Christof Heyns, and the Rapporteur of the UN Committee against Torture, Professor Satyabhoosun Gupt Domah. In addition, representatives of OHCHR, UNAIDS and UNDP attended the dialogue as observers. The dialogue was facilitated by the director of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, Professor Frans Viljoen. 
  
The report highlights grave violations that take place in all regions against LGBTI persons including killings, torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, criminalisation, arbitrary restrictions on freedoms of assembly, association and expression and discriminatory laws and practices, and it emphasises the impact of these abuses on the health of LGBT and intersex persons and their access to HIV prevention and care. The report also welcomes positive developments that have recently been achieved in each human rights system in protecting the rights of LGBT and intersex people, that are the result of the advocacy carried out by human rights defenders and civil society organizations, many of whom are on this list. The report further notes approaches and strategies discussed during the dialogue for integrating and addressing LGBTI issues within the relevant norms, principles and thematic, country and other mandates of each mechanism. 
  
The report is accompanied by a message of support jointly signed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé in which they pledge to continuing supporting such dialogue and efforts to advance the protection of the rights of all individuals, including LGBTI persons.   
  
Links to the report: 

English: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Discrimination/Endingviolence_ACHPR_IACHR_UN_SOGI_dialogue_EN.pdf 

French: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Discrimination/Endingviolence_ACHPR_IACHR_UN_SOGI_dialogue_FR.pdf 

As you will see, the report also contains as annexes, four papers that were developed to inform the discussions at the joint dialogue. The papers address the following: 

• Norms, case law and practice relevant to sexual orientation and gender identity in the African human rights system; 
• Norms, case law and practice relevant to sexual orientation and gender identity in the Inter-American human rights system; 
• Norms, case law and practices relevant to sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status in the United Nations system; and 
• HIV, human rights and sexual orientation and gender identity. 

We hope that this dialogue and its report will contribute to and support efforts by advocates, civil society organisations and others to engage national, regional and global human rights mechanisms to end violence and other human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.