Sign letter to: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

January xx, 2014

Dear Ambassador XX,

We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations, are writing in advance of the 33^rd meeting of State Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to be held in New York on February 18, 2014, where you will elect a new member to the Human Rights Committee.

As you know, the Human Rights Committee is called upon to consider issues related to all human rights issues relevant to the Covenant’s implementation. Since 1994, the Human Rights Committee has explicitly clarified that the general prohibition of discrimination in the ICCPR includes a prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, and that laws and policies that perpetuate such discrimination therefore are of concern to the Committee.[i]  Gender identity has likewise been considered “one of the most basic essentials of self-determination,”[ii] and the Human Rights Committee has also established that an individual’s gender identity cannot be a ground for discrimination.[iii]

It is with this in mind that we urge you to ensure that the candidate chosen to serve on the Human Rights Committee truly fulfill the criteria set out in Article 28(2) of the ICCPR, in that the candidate’s “recognized competence in the field of human rights” should include expertise regarding discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Respectfully,

Aibai Culture & Education Center (China)

AIDES (France)

Anjaree Group (Thailand)

Bandhu Social Welfare Society (Bangladesh)

CAM-FAIDS (Cameroon)

Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network (Canada) (*)

Centre for Sexual Rights, VISION (Pakistan)

Coalition des Familles Homoparentales LGBT Family Coalition (Canada)

COC Netherlands (Netherlands) (*)

Colors Rainbow (Burma)

Common Language (China)

Diverse Voices and Action for Equality (Fiji)

Euroregional Center for Public Initiatives (ECPI)

Family Equality Council (United States)

Fundación Triángulo, por la Igualdad Social de Lesbianas, Gais, Bisexuales y Trans (Spain)

Friends of Rainka (Zambia)

GAYa NUSANTARA (Indonesia)

Global Justice Institute (United States)

Greek Rainbow Families Association - Oikogeneies Ouranio Tokso (Greece)

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights (United States)

House of Diversity and Education (Lithuania)

Hivos (Netherlands) (*)

IDAHO Committee

Runa Institute of Development and Gender Studies (Instituto Runa de Desarrollo Y Estudios sobre Género) (Perú)

Inter-American Center for Human Rights (United States)

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (United States)(*)

International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) (*)

International Women’s Human Rights Clinic at City University of New York Law School (United States)

ILGA-Europe (Belgium) (*)

JASS, Just Associates (United States)

LGBT Centre of Mongolia (Mongolia)

LGBTQ Parenting Network a Program of Sherbourne Health Centre (Canada)

MADRE (United States) (*)

Myanmar LGBT Rights Network (Myanmar)

OLKE – Lesbian and Gay Community of Greece (Greece)

Organization for the Protection and Propagation of the Rights of Sexual Minorities (Pakistan)

Pacific Sexual Diversity Network (PSDN) (Tonga)

The Rainbow Rights Project (Philippines)

Rete Genitori Rainbow (Italy)

Sayoni (Singapore)

Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (Sweden) (*)

Swiss Rainbow Families Association (Switzerland)

TLF Share (Philippines)

Tonga Leitis' Association (TLA Tonga) (Tonga)

United and Strong Inc. (St. Lucia)

United Belize Advocacy Movement (Belize)

Urgent Action Fund-Africa (Kenya)

Women Coalition of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

(*) Organization in consultative status with the United Nations.

---

[i] See, e.g., Human Rights Committee, Toonen v. Australia, Views, Communication No. 488/1992, UN Doc. CCPR/C/50/D/488/1992 (1994), para. 8.7; Human Rights Committee, Young v. Australia, Views, Communication No. 941/2000, UN Doc. CCPR/C/78/D/2000 (2003), para. 10.4; Human Rights Committee, X v. Colombia, Views, Communication No. 1361/2005, UN Doc. CCPR/C/89/D/1361/2005 (2007), para. 7.2; Human Rights Committee, 109^th sess., Concluding Observations: Mauritania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MRT/CO/1 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 108^th sess., Concluding Observations: Albania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ALB/CO/2 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 108^th sess., Concluding Observations: Finland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/FIN/CO/6 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 108^th sess., Concluding Observations: Ukraine, UN Doc. CCPR/C/UKR/CO/7 (2013), paras. 8 and 10; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: Belize, UN Doc. CCPR/C/BLZ/CO/1 (2013), para. 13; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: China (Hong Kong), UN Doc. CCPR/C/CHN-HKG/CO/3 (2013), para. 23; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: Paraguay, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PRY/CO/3 (2013), para. 9; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: Peru, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PER/CO/5 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 106^th sess., Concluding Observations: Philippines, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PHL/CO/4 (2012), para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 106^th sess., Concluding Observations: Turkey, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TUR/CO/1 (2012), paras. 8 and 10; Human Rights Committee, 105^th sess., Concluding Observations: Armenia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ARM/CO/2 (2012), para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 105^th sess., Concluding Observations: Kenya, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KEN/CO/3 (2012), paras. 8-9; Human Rights Committee 105^th sess., Concluding Observations: Lithuania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/LTU/CO/3 (2012), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 105^th sess., Concluding Observations: Maldives, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MDV/CO/1 (2012), para. 8; Human Rights Committee 104^th sess., Concluding Observations: Dominican Republic, UN Doc. CCPR/C/DOM/CO/5 (2012), para. 16; Human Rights Committee 104^th sess., Concluding Observations: Guatemala, UN Doc. CCPR/C/GTM/CO/3 (2012), para. 11; Human Rights Committee 104^th sess., Concluding Observations: Turkmenistan, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TKM/CO/1 (2012), para. 21; Human Rights Committee 104^th sess., Concluding Observations: Yemen, UN Doc. CCPR/C/YEM/CO/5 (2012), para. 13; Human Rights Committee, 103^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Iran, UN Doc. CCPR/C/IRN/CO/3 (2011), para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 103^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Jamaica, UN Doc. CCPR/C/JAM/CO/3 (2011), paras. 8-9; Human Rights Committee, 103^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Kuwait, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KWT/CO/2 (2011), para. 30; Human Rights Committee, 103^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Malawi, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MWI/CO/1 (2011), para. 7; Human Rights Committee, 102^nd sess., Concluding Observations: Ethiopia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ETH/CO/1 (2011), para. 12; Human Rights Committee, 101^st sess., Concluding Observations: Mongolia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MNG/CO/5 (2011), para. 9; Human Rights Committee, 101^st sess., Concluding Observations: Togo, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TGO/CO/4 (2011), para. 14; Human Rights Committee, 100^th sess., Concluding Observations: Poland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/POL/CO/6 (2010), paras. 5 and 8; Human Rights Committee, 99^th sess., Concluding Observations: Cameroon, UN Doc. CCPR/C/CMR/CO/4 (2010), para. 12; Human Rights Committee, 98^th sess., Concluding Observations: Mexico, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MEX/CO/5 (2010), para. 21; Human Rights Committee, 98^th sess., Concluding Observations: Uzbekistan, UN Doc. CCPR/C/UZB/CO/3 (2010), para. 22; Human Rights Committee, 83^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Greece, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/83/GRC (2005), paras. 5 and 19; Human Rights Committee, 83^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Kenya, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/83/KEN (2005), para. 27; Human Rights Committee, 82^nd sess., Concluding Observations: Poland, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/82/POL (2004), paras. 5 and 18; Human Rights Committee, 81^st sess., Concluding Observations: Namibia, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/81/NAM (2004), para. 22; Human Rights Committee, 79^th sess., Concluding Observations: Philippines, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/79/PHIL (2003), para. 18; Human Rights Committee, 78^th sess., Concluding Observations: El Salvador, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/78/SLV (2003), para. 16.

[ii] European Court on Human Rights, Van Kück v. Germnay, App. No. 35968/97 (Eur. Ct. H.R. 3d section 12 June 2003), para. 73.

[iii] Human Rights Committee, 108^th sess., Concluding Observations: Finland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/FIN/CO/6 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 108^th sess., Concluding Observations: Ukraine, UN Doc. CCPR/C/UKR/CO/7 (2013), paras. 8 and 10; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: Belize, UN Doc. CCPR/C/BLZ/CO/1 (2013), para. 13; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: China (Hong Kong), UN Doc. CCPR/C/CHN-HKG/CO/3 (2013), para. 23; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: Paraguay, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PRY/CO/3 (2013), para. 9; Human Rights Committee, 107^th sess., Concluding Observations: Peru, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PER/CO/5 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 106^th sess., Concluding Observations: Philippines, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PHL/CO/4 (2012), para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 106^th sess., Concluding Observations: Turkey, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TUR/CO/1 (2012), paras. 8 and 10; Human Rights Committee, 105^th sess., Concluding Observations: Armenia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ARM/CO/2 (2012), para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 105^th sess., Concluding Observations: Kenya, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KEN/CO/3 (2012), para. 8; Human Rights Committee 105^th sess., Concluding Observations: Lithuania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/LTU/CO/3 (2012), para. 8; Human Rights Committee 104^th sess., Concluding Observations: Dominican Republic, UN Doc. CCPR/C/DOM/CO/5 (2012), para. 16; Human Rights Committee 104^th sess., Concluding Observations: Guatemala, UN Doc. CCPR/C/GTM/CO/3 (2012), para. 11; Human Rights Committee 104^th sess., Concluding Observations: Turkmenistan, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TKM/CO/1 (2012), para. 21; Human Rights Committee, 103^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Iran, UN Doc. CCPR/C/IRN/CO/3 (2011), para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 103^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Jamaica, UN Doc. CCPR/C/JAM/CO/3 (2011), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 103^rd sess., Concluding Observations: Kuwait, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KWT/CO/2 (2011), para. 30; Human Rights Committee, 101^st sess., Concluding Observations: Mongolia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MNG/CO/5 (2011), para. 9; Human Rights Committee, 100^th sess., Concluding Observations: Poland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/POL/CO/6 (2010), para. 8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeOBaSwCrWk#t=23