Tools and Strategies

2016, 44 pages

The EU LGBTI Guidelines prescribe a pro-active attitude for EU Delegations and National Embassies of EU countries regarding the promotion of LGBTI rights. Ever since the EU LGBTI Guidelines are in force, COC Netherlands and ILGA-Europe have been receiving mixed signals about their implementation from LGBTI civil society organisations across the world. This survey focuses on the experiences of LGBTI organisations across the world with the EU Delegations and National Embassies of EU Member States.  Results are combined with good practices and suggestions for improvement per priority area and tool.

2014, 12 pages

Norway is a staunch supporter of the rights of all human beings, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. Norway works to protect the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender – LGBT - persons in the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United Nations General Assembly and at country level.

This is a sensitive issue in many countries. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has therefore developed guidelines for the foreign missions’ work for LGBT persons. The guidelines are developed in collaboration with Norway’s foreign missions in Guatemala, Nepal, Kenya and Uganda.

June 2015, 99 pages

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has published this report examining scientific evidence on sexual practices. The report shows that human sexual behaviour is naturally varied, and should not form a basis for discrimination. It further presents substantial evidence that sexual diversity has always been a normal part of human society. 

The report concludes that tolerance of same-sex orientation benefits communities and positively affects public health, civil society and long-term economic growth.

The report could encourage policymakers, faith leaders and communities to learn about LGBTI people that live in their countries and help inform policies and lawmaking. Efforts should be focused on countering the stigmatisation that creates hostile and violent environments for those who are othered within heteronormative societies.

2016, 138 pages

The 2016 report by ARC International, International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, and ILGA  provides an overview on how the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has shaped the protection of the rights of LGBTI persons to date. It also addresses the challenges and the ways to try and turn the UPR into a greater mechanism to protect the rights of LGBTI persons on the ground. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. The UPR is a significant innovation of the Human Rights Council which is based on equal treatment for all countries. It provides an opportunity for all States to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. The UPR also includes a sharing of best human rights practices around the globe. 

Drawing on the Yogyakarta Principles, the Practitioners’ Guide from 2009 has been written to provide judges, lawyers, and activists a detailed understanding of the legal foundations for the protection of people victimized on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  

The Practitioners’ Guide offers a comprehensive review of the principles of non-discrimination, equality, and privacy.  It then analyzes the scope and nature of the legal prohibition against some of the most severe violations – torture, deprivation of liberty, extrajudicial and arbitrary executions, and denial of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly.  

Through the Practitioners’ Guide, the hope is to increase awareness of human rights principles that protect people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as to encourage legal advocacy.

The guide can be downloaded in French, Spanish and Nepali from International Commission of Jurists.