Droits Humains pour tous - Promouvoir les droits de l'homme des personnes LGBTI: Des communautés locales aux organisations internationales /Human Rights for All - Promoting Human Rights of LGBTI Individuals: From Local Communities to Global Organizations

20.11.2015 16:00 – 18:00

High-level panel in the framework of the 15th Roundtable of the European Governmental LGBT Focal Points Network and the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Rainbow Cities Network

Background:

The protection and promotion of human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals continue to facing important challenges and obstacles. Many individuals continue to face discrimination or violence due to their gender identity or sexual orientation, real or perceived. In recent years, this situation led governments in all regions to pursue a variety of initiatives aimed at reducing levels of violence and discrimination on this basis.
This issue has also become of greater significance at the international level and on the agenda of international organizations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has been requested by the Human Rights Council to provide two reports (2011 and 2015) on the discrimination and violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Concerns about such human rights violations have also been raised repeatedly by United Nations human rights treaty bodies and special procedures, which have formulated numerous recommendations to States in this regard. Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity have also been addressed by regional organizations in Africa, the Americas and Europe. At the European level, initiatives between relevant stakeholders, such as the European Governmental LGBT Focal Points Network (European network) or the Rainbow Cities, have also been initiated and have led to the increased exchange of good practices, and coordination and collaboration between stakeholders.
Taking the opportunity of a joint meeting between the European Network and the Rainbow Cities on 20 November in Geneva, this high-level panel aims at taking stock of recent international development and build on recent experiences and initiatives at all levels (global to local) in order to explore ways of improving the realization and protection of human rights of LGBTI individuals and the impact of actions taken to this aim on the ground. It aims at providing a platform to present the work of some key international, regional, national and local initiatives towards tackling discriminations based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as to improve the synergies between them. More specifically, the panel aims at contributing to answer inter alia the following questions:
- What are the biggest challenges faced by States, NGO’s and international organizations in the promotion of the human rights of LGBTI individuals?
- How to improve the impact on the field of policies and measures taken to promote the human rights of LGBTI individuals at international, regional, national and local level?
- How can States be better urged or supported to implement their international obligations regarding the human rights of LGBTI individuals, as well as the recommendations of UN entities or of the Universal Periodic Review in this regard?
- What is the added-value of regional initiatives, in Europe and other regions? Where are improvements possible / necessary in terms of the protection framework, policy coordination, joint advocacy, monitoring, etc., at the regional level?
- What are the lessons learned, strengths and weaknesses of the regional initiatives at the European level? What is the role of civil society at the regional level?
- What are the experiences of protection and prevention framework at the local/municipal level and their implementation?
- What is the role of civil society in improving the protection and promotion of human rights of LGBTI people? How to improve its interconnection at the global level and the impact of their work? How to ensure protection of human rights defenders promoting respect for the human rights of LGBTI people?

Panelists

Welcome addresses by the organizing parties

- Prof. Denis Hochstrasser, Vice-Rector of the University of Geneva
- Ms. Sandrine Salerno, City Councillor in charge of Gender Equality and Diversity, City of Geneva
- Amb. Alexandre Fasel, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva

Keynote address: Ms. Flavia Pansieri, Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Panellists :

- Mr. Ben Baks, Director, Gender & LGBT Equality Department, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, The Netherlands

- Ms. Chiara Barberis, Head of the Agenda 21 - Ville durable service, City of Geneva

- Mr. Pedro Mouratian, Chair, Instituto Nacional contra la Discriminación, la Xenofobia y el Racismo, INADI, Argentina (tbc)

- Ms. Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director, ILGA-Europe

- Mr. Mehdi Künzle, Co-President, Pink Cross, Swiss Gay Federation

- Ms. Josefina Valencia Toledano, Coordinator of El Closet de Sor Juana, Mexico

Moderation: Amb. Alexandre Fasel, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva


Language: French/English with simultaneous interpretation

Lieu

Bâtiment: Uni Bastions

B 106

entrée libre

Fichiers joints

	A3_HumanRightsforAll.pdf	248.4 Kb
	Invit_HumanRightsforAll.pdf	371 Kb