The United Nations voted to renew the mandate of the independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) on Monday.
The UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution with 29 votes in favor, 15 votes against, and 3 abstentions in its 59th session.
The renewal of the mandate for another three years reaffirms the core Universal Declaration of Human Rights principle that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” States are obligated to ensure the lives and rights of LGBTQ+ people are protected, enabling them to live free from discrimination and violence.
The mandate of the Independent Expert on SOGI was created in 2016 to address global discrimination and acts of violence committed against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Initially created for a period of three years, the mandate was renewed in 2019 and 2022. Since 2023, the mandate has been held by South African scholar, Graeme Reid, who previously acted as director for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) executive director, Julia Ehrt, stated, “The renewal of this mandate is a spark of hope in a time when reactionary powers worldwide are trying to dismantle progress that our communities fought so hard to achieve.”
The United States, under President Donald Trump’s administration, withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council, issuing a series of executive orders earlier this year targeting the rights of transgender individuals. Rights groups have warned of the harmful impacts of such laws on transgender youth, their families, communities, and the healthcare system. Most recently, the US Supreme Court upheld legislation restricting access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The independent expert on SOGI issued a statement on the decision, urging that a “rights-based, person-centred approach to gender-affirming care” be upheld.
Ahead of the 59th session of the Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch urged UN member states to support the renewal of the resolution. ILGA World delivered a statement at the session calling to “Renew IE SOGI” on behalf of a coalition of 1,259 NGOs and civil society groups from across 167 countries and territories. They noted that adopting the resolution would reiterate that “violence and discrimination against people of diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities cannot be tolerated,” emphasizing that “specific, sustained and systematic attention” is necessary to address human rights violations perpetrated against LGBTQ+ people globally.
