From: Toni Reis
Date: 2009/7/23
Subject: Urgente - Alerta: ECOSOC - Apoiem ABGLT - a Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais
To:
Na próxima segunda-feira, dia 27/07/2008, em Genebra, o ECOSOC votará a candidatura da ABGLT (Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais) para ter status consultivo junto àquele Conselho.
In Latin America/Caribbean:
Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Santa Lucia, Uruguay, Venezuela
In Asia:
China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia
In Africa:
Algeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Somalia, Sudan
In Central and Eastern Europe:
Belarus, Estonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation
Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America
Envie uma mensagem à missão dos países junto à ONU, apoiando a candidatura da ABGLT. As instruções de como fazer isso seguem abaixo.
http://www.ediplomat.com/dc/
Distribua essas informações para suas redes.
Um abraço,
Toni Reis
Presidente da ABGLT
(Please distribute broadly)
What’s up?
This Monday, 27 July 2009, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is due to vote on whether to accredit the NGO Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas e Transgêneros (ABGLT), a Brazilian NGO which addresses human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
ECOSOC accreditation governs whether NGOs can attend UN meetings, submit written statements, make oral interventions, host panels – even get in the door of UN buildings. NGOs working on these issues address important human rights questions and it is critical that they have a voice at the UN.
The attached fact sheet provides more information about the key issues.
What can I do?
The vote will be extremely close, and your support is urgently needed!
Listed below are all the ECOSOC States by region. If you live in or have connections with any of these States, please write to them or call them TODAY.
In Latin America/Caribbean:
Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Santa Lucia, Uruguay, Venezuela:
Support of as many as possible of these Latin American/Caribbean countries will be critical. You may point out that all of them endorsed the recent OAS resolution on sexual orientation, gender identity and human rights.
In Asia:
China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia
Japan has been consistently supportive. South Korea has usually supported these issues in the past, and needs to be encouraged to do so again. The Philippines and India should be encouraged to support. In a previous year, Indonesia initially abstained, but switched to a no vote following negative pressure.
In Africa:
Algeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Somalia, Sudan
Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritius all supported the joint statement at the UN General Assembly on sexual orientation, gender identity and human rights. Mozambique has abstained on these issues in the past.
In Central and Eastern Europe:
Belarus, Estonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation
Estonia, Poland and Romania supported the joint statement at the UN General Assembly on sexual orientation, gender identity and human rights, and Poland and Romania have supported previous LGBTI NGOs seeking ECOSOC accreditation. Moldova has also supported previous LGBTI NGOs seeking ECOSOC accreditation, but this time may abstain rather than supporting. Belarus and Russia have consistently opposed such applications.
In the Western Group:
Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America
All Western Group States are expected to support the application, and can be encouraged to lobby States in other regions with which they have good relations.
How do I contact my government?
Please approach any contacts you may have within your country’s Foreign Ministry. A list of Ministries of Foreign Affairs for each country can be found at:
http://www.ediplomat.com/dc/
You may also wish to send a copy of any correspondence to your country’s Ambassador or mission in Geneva. A list of Geneva missions is available at:
What do I tell them?
Urge your government to support the NGO application. Some States will support this as a question of access and fairness, but do not want their support to be seen as an endorsement of sexual orientation or gender identity issues. It may therefore be helpful to emphasise that this is a question of basic non-discriminatory access and maintaining a fair process. Your government doesn’t have to agree with the position of every NGO, but these NGOs are entitled to participate in the work of the UN and make their perspective known.
Best wishes, and good luck!
John
------------------------------
John Fisher
Co-Director, ARC International
62, rue de Vermont, #44
Geneva 1202
Ph: +41-22-733-4705
Cell: +41-79-508-3968
Fax: +41-22-734-4761
ECOSOC ACCREDITATION OF NGO ABGLT
THE IMPORTANCE OF EQUAL ACCESS & PARTICIPATION
REGARDLESS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY
Ø The Issue:
This session, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is due to consider a recommendation by its subsidiary NGO Committee to deny UN consultative status to the Brazilian NGO Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas e Transgêneros (ABGLT), an organization working on sexual orientation and gender identity issues.
Ø The NGO: a history of credible work
The applicant is a reliable, credible NGO of long standing, engaged in international work, and able to address significant human rights concerns of relevance to the UN in an area that is often overlooked. As the NGO Committee report makes clear, ABGLT is fully supported by its government and has met all relevant criteria:
“The observer for Brazil reaffirmed his country’s support for the application for consultative status of the Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas e Transgêneros and stressed the organization’s important role in advocacy and capacity-building in human rights in Brazil and in the implementation of national programmes to combat HIV/AIDS. … Brazil believed that the organization had sufficiently answered all questions of the Committee, both in writing and orally, to prove its merits for obtaining consultative status.” (E/2009/32 Part I, para. 12)
Ø No valid reason for rejections
No valid reasons were provided for denying consultative status to ABGLT. The NGO meets all criteria in ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, which explicitly affirms the need to take into account the full diversity of non-governmental organizations. The organisation submitted a detailed application to the NGO Committee, appeared in person and responded comprehensively to all questions asked.
Speaking at the NGO Committee, the UK delegation noted that “no credible reason could be presented for refusing the organization consultative status, except that of straightforward discrimination.”
The NGO Committee has now rejected more than 10 applications by NGOs working on sexual orientation and gender identity issues, thus entrenching a discriminatory pattern that brings its own practice into disrepute. The ECOSOC has had to consistently overturn these recommendations of the NGO Committee in order to uphold the integrity of its own processes and the principle of non-discrimination underpinning the UN Charter.
Ø Relevance of NGO’s work to the UN:
The work of ABGLT is directly relevant to the UN. Numerous UN Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies have highlighted violations of the human rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, including arbitrary arrests, deprivation of food and water, beatings, rape and murder. UNAIDS has highlighted the importance of working with lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people on HIV prevention.
67 UN Member States have endorsed a joint statement, expressing concern at human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and calling for action to address these issues. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, all 34 members of the Organization of American States have adopted by consensus a resolution titled “human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity”.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay has expressed concern regarding human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity. While acknowledging that these are sensitive issues, she expressed the view that common ground can be found in the growing awareness and emerging consensus that no one should be denied their human rights on any ground, and emphasized the responsibility of all States to ensure that no-one, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, is subject to violence or abuse.
Whatever individual States’ positions on questions of sexual orientation and gender identity may be, it is clear that these issues are regularly being discussed in UN fora and it is important that UN discussions be informed by NGOs representing these constituencies.
Ø Applying international standards – the Yogyakarta Principles:
In March 2007, the Yogyakarta Principles on the application of international human rights in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity were launched. These Principles were adopted by international experts including present and former treaty-body members, Special Procedures, judges, lawyers, and a former High Commissioner for Human Rights. They reflect the existing state of international human rights law in this area, and affirm binding international legal standards.
Principle 19 (dealing with the right to freedom of opinion and expression) and Principle 27 (dealing with the right to promote human rights) affirm the right of NGOs addressing issues of sexual orientation and gender identity to enjoy non-discriminatory access to international fora. The Yogyakarta Principles explicitly call on the “UN Economic and Social Council [to] recognize and accredit NGOs whose aim is to promote and protect the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, in accordance with its Resolution 1996/31”.
Ø Maintaining the integrity and credibility of the process:
It is crucial for public confidence in the NGO Committee, the ECOSOC and the UN as a whole that the NGO Committee not be seen as dismissing legitimate NGO applications solely because some States disagree with the content of their work.
States’ positions on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity may vary, but all that the applicant NGO is seeking is the opportunity to participate in the debate. Indeed, the more marginalised the human rights concerns being addressed, the more important it is that relevant NGO voices not be excluded.
In each of 2006, 2007 and 2008, the ECOSOC voted to grant consultative status to NGOs working in this area, notwithstanding contrary recommendations by the NGO Committee. The issues raised by the current application are indistinguishable from those before the ECOSOC in each of the past three years, and the NGO under consideration should similarly be granted status in the interests of maintaining a fair, consistent and credible process.
The applicant NGO plays a vital role in addressing serious human rights violations, relevant to the work of the UN. Regardless of States’ views on the issues it addresses, it is entitled to the same opportunity as all other NGOs to present its views and participate in the work of the UN. We urge the ECOSOC to maintain the credibility of the process by voting against the draft recommendations of the NGO Committee and by granting ABGLT consultative status.
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