We would like to express our deepest and heartfelt condolences to all affected by the tragic plane crash in Ethiopia on Sunday. Our heart goes out to all who lost their loved ones, and the UN family who lost many colleagues.
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, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, 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 Action International.
Chairperson,
The Members of the LGBTI Core Group stand firmly against any form of violence, discrimination and marginalization on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. We recognize that in order to reach the full realization of the mandate of the Commission on the Status of Women, the challenges faced by LGBTI individuals must be addressed.
This year’s priority theme, “social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls” provides an opportunity for the international community to reflect on how to broaden and deepen our collective understanding of the importance of an inclusive and gender-responsive approach to policy formulation, service delivery and infrastructure development.
We express our concern that lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and girls and gender non-conforming people in every region of the world continue to be subjected to or at risk of daily violence, discrimination and marginalization based on their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics.
The multiple and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination faced by LGBTI people directly impacts their inclusion in social protection systems, and their access to public services and sustainable infrastructure. These barriers include systemic and structural impediments in accessing health care, education, employment, housing and justice.
Transgender persons in particular are disproportionally affected by violence and discrimination in their access to social protection systems and public services, which is often exacerbated when their names and sex details in official documents do not match their gender identity or expression. We also express concern that human rights defenders, who work to protect and promote the rights of LGBTI people, continue to face reprisals and attacks for their work.
The LGBTI Core Group stands ready to work with all partners to ensure that all women and girls -no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics- have adequate and equal access to social protection systems, public services and sustainable infrastructure and are better included in our domestic and international policy development.
Without a more inclusive approach, the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the promise of the 2030 Development Agenda to “leave no one behind” will never be realized. We appeal to those gathered here at the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women to join us in this fight.
I thank you.