Statement by the UN LGBTI Core Group
27 JULY 2018
Dear 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 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 Delegation, as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the non-governmental organizations Human Rights Watch and Outright Action International.
We would like to call your attention to the situation of older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex persons as they tend to be left out of a mainstream of discourse of LGBTI issues which primarily focus on individuals from youth to middle age. Indeed, their invisibility tends to make them more vulnerable to different forms of violence and discrimination.
“Sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics, intersect with age and have a compounding effect on social opportunities, access to services, quality of life and the enjoyment of human rights.”
It is important to recognize that aging is not experienced in the same way by all older adults. Sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics, intersect with age and have a compounding effect on social opportunities, access to services, quality of life and the enjoyment of human rights. Older LGBTI persons face many challenges related to health and care and also experience stigma and discrimination because of who they are and whom they love.
“It is time we start addressing the specific needs and challenges faced by older LGBTI persons, to fully implement the principle of leaving no one behind and promote their effective inclusion in our societies.”
It is time we start addressing the specific needs and challenges faced by older LGBTI persons, to fully implement the principle of leaving no one behind and promote their effective inclusion in our societies.
The achievement of sustainable development is closely linked to the extent to which people’s human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. In the case of LGBTI older persons, the first obstacle to overcome is the lack of visibility and the need to identify and develop specific targeted measures for their inclusion.
With the aim of realizing sustainable development, we need to shed light on the specific challenges faced by older LGBTI persons in order to end the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence they face.
Thank you.