The 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from 22 February to 23 March 2021, and ILGA World will be there for you!

How will LGBTI human rights and SOGIESC issues be addressed during the session? Watch this video (subtitles available in English and Spanish, transcription provided below) to hear more directly from the ILGA World team! 

LGBTI issues at the 46th UN Human Rights Council: video transcription

Session 46 of the UN Human Rights Council
will take place from 22 February to 23 March 2021,
and we at ILGA World will be there for you as always.

We will follow the sessions , make statements, host events…
and we will make sure that LGBTI voices continue to be heard
as the Council addresses situations of human rights violations worldwide
and makes recommendations on them.

During this session, the Council will engage in over 30 interactive dialogues
with human rights experts, civil society and mechanisms,
and will hear the presentation of about 100 thematic and country reports.

High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet will speak about the impact of the Covid-19 on human rights situations
The report points out that our communities are particularly affected by the ongoing crisis.
Stigma and discrimination make LGBTI persons more exposed to poverty, homelessness, and a lack of proper healthcare:
the pandemic has made these situations worse.

The issue of the death penalty
Two years ago, a UN resolution recognised that under no circumstances
can the death penalty be applied as a sanction to homosexuality.
Nevertheless, death penalty to punish consensual sex between adults of the same gender
continues to be on the books in eleven UN member states.
We will raise our voices and say it out loud and clear:
States must stop criminalising who we are, and stop punishing our loves.

We will also follow the High-Level Segment,
when dignitaries present national and international efforts to promote and protect human rights.
We will take due note where SOGIESC issues are included in these measures and where not.

ILGA World will join debates and highlight how our rights have been increasingly under attack in many parts of the world.
We will participate in the annual discussion on the right of the child
and also engage with UN human rights experts as they will present their thematic and country reports.

We will describe how people who defend LGBTI human rights are at risk of violence in Peru,
and comment on the killings of LGBTI human rights defenders.
We will highlight how our communities in all their cultural and regional diversity were impacted by Covid-19,
and we will speak of the importance of looking into how ableism and cis-heteronormativity intersect,
posing specific challenges faced by LGBTI people with disabilities.

In addition, we are planning to organise a side event on LGBTI persons with disabilities.
The new Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
has defined intersectionality as one of the key aspects of this future work,
and we want to create a space for activists, governments and UN experts
to discuss what could be done to ensure more human rights protection for LGBTI persons with disabilities.

Throughout the 46th Human Rights Council, ILGA World will be there for you and with you,
looking out for our communities and making sure our voices are heard.
Follow us on our social media for real-time updates during the session, and…
see you next time!