Leading figures to address LGBTI conference

The UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity will be among a number of leading speakers to address an APF-UNDP conference in Bangkok next month.

Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, who took up the three-year appointment in September 2016, will be joined by Sonia Corrêa, Co-Chair, of the Expert Group on the Yogyakarta Principles, and the Hon. Michael Kirby, former Justice of the High Court of Australia.

The Yogyakarta Principles + 10 Conference, to be held in Bangkok on 25-26 April 2017, will also feature speakers from leading civil society organisations who work to promote and protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people globally and across the Asia Pacific.

The conference will reflect on the impact of the Yogyakarta Principles in countries across the region over the ten years since their release in March 2007.

It will also chart the progress made to promote and protect the rights of LGBTI people and how national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and international partners can work with States to build on these efforts.

"The Yogyakarta Principles are a powerful statement on the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity," said Pip Dargan, Deputy Director of the APF secretariat and APF Gender Focal point.

"The ten-year anniversary is a timely opportunity to bring people to explore how they have been used to promote and protect the rights of LGBTI people, the challenges people have encountered in using the Principles and possible future directions," she said.

In addition to the plenary presentations, participants will share their insights and ideas at a number of "workstation discussions" on pressing issues facing LGBTI communities, from violence and extremism to legal protection and oppression.

The Yogyakarta Principles + 10 Conference is part of an ongoing program of cooperation between the APF and UNDP that aims to strengthen the capacity of national human rights institutions in the region to work with LGBTI communities and better advocate for their rights.

The program also includes:

• The release of a world-first publication, Promoting and Protecting Human Rights in relation to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics: A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions, in June 2016
• Three sub-regional blended learning courses for NHRIs and civil society organisations in South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, which began in October 2016
• Support for NHRIs to mainstream into their strategic plans and work programs human rights issues concerning LGBTI people.
• Assistance for closer consultation between NHRIs and LGBTI communities.

Date: 21 March 2017