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UN Officials Refsogi SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS BY UN OFFICIALS References to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay This document contains a summary of the speeches and statements made by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay since 2003. Part 1 organizes a list of each one’s speeches and statements that reference sexual orientation and gender identity by category. Part 2 contains the text of each one’s speeches and statements issued during the period 2010-2013. It is up to date as of February 14, 2013. TABLE OF CONTENTS Part 1: List of Speeches and Statements .................................................................................................................... 1 UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon ....................................................................................................................... 1 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanetham Pillay ................................................................... 1 General Assembly Joint Statements ................................................................................................................................ 2 Part 2: Texts of Speeches and Statements for the 2010-2013 Period .................................................................... 3 UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon ....................................................................................................................... 3 Secretary-General, in Message to Event on Ending Sexuality-Based Violence, Bias, Calls Homophobic Bullying ‘A Moral Outrage, A Grave Violation Of Human Rights’ ............................................... 4 Secretary-General’s Remarks to the Human Rights Council .................................................................................. 5 Confront Prejudice, Speak Out Against Violence, Secretary-General Says at Event on Ending Sanctions Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity ......................................................................... 6 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay ................................................................................... 8 UN Human Rights Chief Urges Uganda to Shelve “Draconian” Law on Homosexuality .......................... 12 Part 1: List of Speeches and Statements UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon • Message to Human Rights Council meeting on Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, March 7, 2012 (available at http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=1475#. URqtGc3UqJQ) • Message to event on ending violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, delivered by Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, December 8, 2011 (“Secretary-General, in Message to event on ending sexuality-based violence, calls homophobic bullying ‘a moral outrage, a grave violation of human rights’”, available at http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sgsm14008.doc.htm) • Remarks to the Human Rights Council, January 25, 2011 (available at http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=5051) • Remarks at the event on “Ending Violence and Criminal Sanctions Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity”, December 10, 2010 (“Confront prejudice, speak out against violence, Secretary-General says at event on ‘Ending Sanctions Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity’”, available at http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sgsm13311.doc.htm) • Message on ending violence and criminal sanctions based on sexual orientation and gender identity, delivered by Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights, September 17, 2010 (“Secretary-General says social attitudes run deep, take time to change, but cultural considerations should not impede basic human rights”, SG/SM/13108/HR/5034, available at http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sgsm13108.doc.htm) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanetham Pillay • Statement to the Panel on ending violence and discrimination against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity at the Human Rights Council 19th Session, March 7, 20121 (“Pillay presents groundbreaking UN study on violence, discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation”, available at http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11917&L angID=E.) 1 See also Report of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights on Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity (November 2011) 1 • Message to the Ugandan Government, January 15, 2010 (“UN human rights chief urges Uganda to shelve ‘draconian’ law on homosexuality,” Geneva, Switzerland, available at http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=9722&La ngID=E) • High Commissioner’s Strategic Management Plan 2010-2011, January 10, 2010 (available at http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Press/SMP2010-2011.pdf) • Address at Freedom Park, Pretoria, South Africa, December 10, 2009 • Address at event on gender identity, sexual orientation and human rights, Human Rights Council, 11th Session, Panel Event, June 12, 2009 (available at http://arc- international.net/global-advocacy/ohchr/hc-statement-sogi-event-2009) • Statement at the World Conference on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Paris, May 15, 2009 (available at http://arc- international.net/global-advocacy/ohchr/hc-statement-paris-2009) • Joint Statement by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), February 26, 2008 (available at http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/dataimport/pub/pressstateme nt/2008/080226_humanrights_en.pdf) • Address on the theme of gender identity, sexual orientation and human rights, 63rd Session of the General Assembly, New York, December 18, 2008 General Assembly Joint Statements • Joint Statement from the Permanent Representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, Japan, the Netherlands and Norway to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly, 63rd Session, A/63/635, December 18, 2008 2 Part 2: Texts of Speeches and Statements for the 2010-2013 Period UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon Message to Human Rights Council meeting on Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity March 7, 2012 Madam Lasserre, President of the Human Rights Council, Distinguished members of the Council, Ms. Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to address this historic Human Rights Council session. Some say sexual orientation and gender identity is a sensitive subject. I understand. Like many of my generation, I did not grow up talking about these issues. But I learned to speak out because lives are at stake -- and because it is our duty, under the United Nations Charter … and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights … to protect the rights of everyone, everywhere. The High Commissioner’s report documents disturbing abuses in all regions. We see a pattern of violence and discrimination directed at people just because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. There is widespread bias at jobs, schools and hospitals. And appalling violent attacks, including sexual assault. People have been imprisoned, tortured, even killed. This is a monumental tragedy for those affected -- and a stain on our collective conscience. It is also a violation of international law. You, as members of the Human Rights Council, must respond. To those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, let me say: You are not alone. Your struggle for an end to violence and discrimination is a shared struggle. Any attack on you is an attack on the universal values the United Nations and I have sworn to defend and uphold. 3 Today, I stand with you … and I call upon all countries and people to stand with you, too. A historic shift is under way. More States see the gravity of the problem. I firmly oppose conditionality on aid. We need constructive actions The High Commissioner’s report points the way. We must: Tackle the violence… decriminalize consensual same-sex relationships… ban discrimination… and educate the public. We also need regular reporting to verify that violations are genuinely being addressed. I count on this Council and all people of conscience to make this happen. The time has come. Secretary-General, in Message to Event on Ending Sexuality-Based Violence, Bias, Calls Homophobic Bullying ‘A Moral Outrage, A Grave Violation Of Human Rights’ December 8, 2011 Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the event on ending violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, delivered by Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in New York, on 8 December: I am pleased to greet participants attending this event on the homophobic bullying of young people and associated violence and discrimination. Let me offer a special word of thanks to the human rights defenders in the audience. Like many of you, I continue to be dismayed at reports of children as young as 11 being subjected to sustained verbal abuse, taunting and serious physical attacks because of their presumed sexual orientation or gender
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