Statement on Behalf of LGBTI Core Group by Amb. Miguel Ruiz-Cabañas,
Vice-Minister for Multilateral Affairs
16 July 2018
Chairperson,
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Member States of the LGBTI Core Group. The LGBTI Core Group is an informal cross regional group of UN Member States established in 2008. The group is co-chaired by Argentina and The Netherlands, and includes Albania, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Montenegro, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Uruguay and the European Union, as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the nongovernmental organizations Human Rights Watch and Outright Action International.
The High Level Political Forum is a platform for all stakeholders, UN Member states, civil society and UN entities, to discuss progress and best practices in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. This forum also aims at strengthening collaboration among all partners towards achieving the 2030 Agenda with the central commitment to “Leave No One Behind.”
“Stereotypes often result in violence and inhumane treatment.”
An unacceptable number of LGBTI persons in the world lives in poverty and shares with the rest of the world’s poor an urgent need for achieving sustainable development. Stereotypes often result in violence and inhumane treatment.
Discrimination and stigma impose restrictions to housing, employment, education, health care and other basic social services. If we truly aim to create a society where no one is left behind, governments and the private sector should offer LGBTI persons support and opportunities, without discrimination and without violence of any kind, in full respect of their human dignity and rights.
“The ‘Leave No One Behind’ principle is crucial to the lives and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons because they often experience multiple and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination…”
The “Leave No One Behind” principle is crucial to the lives and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons because they often experience multiple and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination and face systemic structural barriers to basic social services, labor market participation and even access to official identity documents on the basis of the actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics.
“…we hope the HLPF discussion will contribute to highlight the importance of moving from an abstract concept of ‘leaving no on behind’ to outlining and implementing national policies based on full inclusion, especially for LGBTI persons across the globe.”
In order to fully achieve the Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we must tackle these challenges. In that regard, we hope the HLPF discussion will contribute to highlight the importance of moving from an abstract concept of “leaving no on behind” to outlining and implementing national policies based on full inclusion, especially for LGBTI persons across the globe, in order to give full meaning and achieve all the noble sustainable development goals.
Muchas gracias.