Statement by the LGBTI Core Group
Delivered by H.E. Olivier Maes, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg
Chairperson,
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the LGBTI Core Group, an informal cross-regional group established in 2008.
The group is co-chaired by Argentina and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and includes Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Timor Leste, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Uruguay, the European Union, as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the non-governmental organizations Human Rights Watch and Outright International.
Our overarching goal is to work within the United Nations framework to ensure universal respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals without distinction, regardless of their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. Our particular focus is on protecting LGBTI persons from violence and discrimination.
Chairperson,
The group has consistently advocated, including in the last three sessions of the Commission, for the recognition and elimination of the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and all forms of violence faced by LGBTI persons and the vulnerable situations they may be placed in.
We are committed to breaking the silence surrounding the suffering faced by LGBTI persons and to drawing attention to the harsh realities they often face because of systemic and discriminatory barriers and societal biases that create and perpetuate deep inequalities and exclusion.
LGBTI persons are at an increased risk of experiencing a lack of access to basic social services, such as education, health, and social protection, as well as unemployment, hunger, and poverty, just because of who they are and who they love.
In this regard, we firmly believe that the priority theme of this year’s session represents an opportunity to address the importance of developing and implementing social policies and legislation that take into consideration the needs and perspectives of LGBTI persons, promoting their inclusion in social development and social justice to prevent further vulnerability and inequality.
In this sense, we hope that the challenges that LGBTI persons face will be explicitly considered in the Secretary General’s future reports for this Commission when mentioning groups in vulnerable situations and conditions. Where applicable we recommend expressly acknowledging LGBTI persons and the challenges they face in official UN documents.
This is particularly important as the session’s report highlights pathways and recommendations for just, inclusive, and effective social policies, in particular stepping up efforts to provide universal social protection, affordable and quality health-care services and affordable quality education for all.
To adopt social policies that truly address the challenges faced by LGBTI persons, we underscore the need for timely and disaggregated data collection, with necessary safeguards in place.
LGBTI persons should have equal rights to participate fully in society, with equal access to social services, such as education, health, and social protection, and be equally included in policy-making processes that affect their lives, thereby addressing structural inequalities and fostering fairer societies. Otherwise, we risk undermining the very foundations of social development and justice.
Chairperson,
To conclude, we would also like to take this opportunity to underscore that standing up against all forms of violations and abuses of human rights, as well as discrimination and exclusion, against any person is not and should never be a matter of controversy. We call for a strengthened commitment to continued advocacy on the universality of human rights and the pledge to leave no one behind, including to fully protect the rights of all LGBTI persons.
Thank you.