Warning message

Missing Feeds plugin FeedsEntityProcessorFile. Please contact your site administrator.

United Nations: A resolution on "Human Rights and Sexual Orientation" introduced by Brazil will be voted on Wednesday, April 23

On Wednesday, April 23, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in its 59th Session in Geneva will vote on a resolution "Human Rights and Sexual Orientation" that has been introduced by Brazil with support among other countries from the European Union, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. This is the first such resolution in UN history and as such a historic opportunity to advance LGBT issues in international human rights law.

Please contact your government's Foreign Affairs Ministry TODAY and encourage them to vote in favor of the Resolution. It is important that your government knows that there are individuals and organizations aware of the upcoming vote and watchful for its results.

You will find below a Model Letter. It is very broad, to be applicable to as many countries as possible. If your country has already passed anti-discriminatory (and/or partnership and/or hate crimes) legislation that explicitly mentions sexual orientation, please refer to it in your letters.

MODEL LETTER

Dear Sirs,

On Wednesday, April 23, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in its 59th Session in Geneva will vote on a resolution "Human Rights and Sexual Orientation" that has been introduced by Brazil. The Resolution is aimed at acknowledging discrimination based on sexual orientation and protecting those affected by it.

We would like to see our country among those who vote in favor of this Resolution. By doing so, we will be positioning ourselves among those who are true to those values that form the core of international human rights legislation: dignity and justice for all human beings, without discrimination whatsoever.

We will be following the vote in Geneva. Let us hope that it becomes and opportunity for us to feel proud of our country.

Yours sincerely,

(Name, address, organization)

BACKGROUND

Draft Resolution "Human Rights and Sexual Orientation"

Note: If you have questions about the resolution you can also contact Jan Doerfel (IRCSM@gmx.ch) with the International Research Center on Social Minorities (ICRSM), who is in Geneva and has been following the resolution closely.

ABOUT IGLHRC

The mission of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is to secure the full enjoyment of the human rights of all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation or expression, gender identity or expression, and/or HIV status. A US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), IGLHRC effects this mission through advocacy, documentation, coalition building, public education, and technical assistance.

IGLHRC
1375 Sutter Street, Suite 222
San Francisco, CA 94109
USA
Telephone: +1-415-255-8680
Fax: +1-415-255-8662
Email: iglhrc@iglhrc.org
http://www.iglhrc.org