Join us on 12 April for a parallel online event to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights' Intersessional Seminar on Youth and Human Rights!

Online event:
LGBTIQ youth human rights:  the role of UN human rights mechanisms

Date: 12 April 2021
Time: 1:00-2:30pm Central European Summer Time
Accessibility: voice interpretation in Spanish and French, closed captioning in English

Register now

On 12 April 2021, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights will convene the Intersessional Seminar on Youth and Human Rights. On this occasion, this civil society and youth-led parallel event will raise awareness of the need to address the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer youth.

UN human rights mechanisms have increased their efforts to protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of young people, and have also developed important standards for the protection of persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics.

However, there's a continued need for meaningful youth participation and active consultation with youth-led civil society, and issues concerning LGBTIQ youth are still largely left behind in the discussions taking place at these fora. The Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these challenges.

In this session, young people will discuss the obstacles they face and have overcome in their advocacy efforts. Representatives from UN bodies and agencies, as well as member states, will talk about their efforts to engage queer young people. Together, they will identify recommendations that will pave the way for a more meaningful inclusion and participation of young LGBTIQ people in UN spaces, and raise awareness about their human rights.
 

Speakers

Opening remarks by

• Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth
• Monica Ferro, Director, UNFPA Geneva Office
• Kalekye Kyalo, Associate Human Rights Officer, OHCHR
• Martin Karadzhov, Chair of the Youth Committee at ILGA World, Commissioner at the High-Level Commission of the Nairobi Summit, Young Leader for the SDGs

followed by a roundtable of LGBTIQ youth activists and defenders

Co-organisers

ILGA World, African Queer Youth Initiative, Youth Voices Count, IGLYO, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality 

Co-sponsors

Office of the UN Secretary-General Envoy on Youth,  United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Permanent Mission of Chile