January
xx, 2014
Dear
Ambassador XX,
We,
the undersigned non-governmental organizations, are writing in advance of the
33rd 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, 109th
sess., Concluding Observations:
Mauritania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MRT/CO/1 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights
Committee, 108th sess., Concluding
Observations: Albania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ALB/CO/2 (2013), para. 8; Human
Rights Committee, 108th sess., Concluding
Observations: Finland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/FIN/CO/6 (2013), para. 8; Human
Rights Committee, 108th sess., Concluding
Observations: Ukraine, UN Doc. CCPR/C/UKR/CO/7 (2013), paras. 8 and 10;
Human Rights Committee, 107th sess., Concluding Observations: Belize, UN Doc. CCPR/C/BLZ/CO/1 (2013),
para. 13; Human Rights Committee, 107th sess., Concluding Observations: China (Hong Kong), UN Doc.
CCPR/C/CHN-HKG/CO/3 (2013), para. 23; Human Rights Committee, 107th
sess., Concluding Observations: Paraguay,
UN Doc. CCPR/C/PRY/CO/3 (2013), para. 9; Human Rights Committee, 107th
sess., Concluding Observations: Peru, UN
Doc. CCPR/C/PER/CO/5 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 106th
sess., Concluding Observations:
Philippines, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PHL/CO/4 (2012), para. 10; Human Rights
Committee, 106th sess., Concluding
Observations: Turkey, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TUR/CO/1 (2012), paras. 8 and 10;
Human Rights Committee, 105th sess., Concluding Observations: Armenia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ARM/CO/2 (2012),
para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 105th sess., Concluding Observations: Kenya, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KEN/CO/3 (2012),
paras. 8-9; Human Rights Committee 105th sess., Concluding Observations: Lithuania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/LTU/CO/3 (2012),
para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 105th sess., Concluding Observations: Maldives, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MDV/CO/1 (2012),
para. 8; Human Rights Committee 104th sess., Concluding Observations: Dominican Republic, UN Doc.
CCPR/C/DOM/CO/5 (2012), para. 16; Human Rights Committee 104th
sess., Concluding Observations:
Guatemala, UN Doc. CCPR/C/GTM/CO/3 (2012), para. 11; Human Rights Committee
104th sess., Concluding
Observations: Turkmenistan, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TKM/CO/1 (2012), para. 21; Human
Rights Committee 104th sess., Concluding
Observations: Yemen, UN Doc. CCPR/C/YEM/CO/5 (2012), para. 13; Human Rights
Committee, 103rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Iran, UN Doc. CCPR/C/IRN/CO/3 (2011), para. 10; Human Rights
Committee, 103rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Jamaica, UN Doc. CCPR/C/JAM/CO/3 (2011), paras. 8-9; Human
Rights Committee, 103rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Kuwait, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KWT/CO/2 (2011), para. 30; Human
Rights Committee, 103rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Malawi, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MWI/CO/1 (2011), para. 7; Human Rights
Committee, 102nd sess., Concluding
Observations: Ethiopia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ETH/CO/1 (2011), para. 12; Human
Rights Committee, 101st sess., Concluding
Observations: Mongolia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MNG/CO/5 (2011), para. 9; Human
Rights Committee, 101st sess., Concluding
Observations: Togo, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TGO/CO/4 (2011), para. 14; Human Rights
Committee, 100th sess., Concluding
Observations: Poland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/POL/CO/6 (2010), paras. 5 and 8; Human
Rights Committee, 99th sess., Concluding
Observations: Cameroon, UN Doc. CCPR/C/CMR/CO/4 (2010), para. 12; Human
Rights Committee, 98th sess., Concluding
Observations: Mexico, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MEX/CO/5 (2010), para. 21; Human
Rights Committee, 98th sess., Concluding
Observations: Uzbekistan, UN Doc. CCPR/C/UZB/CO/3 (2010), para. 22; Human
Rights Committee, 83rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Greece, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/83/GRC (2005), paras. 5 and 19; Human
Rights Committee, 83rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Kenya, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/83/KEN (2005), para. 27; Human Rights
Committee, 82nd sess., Concluding
Observations: Poland, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/82/POL (2004), paras. 5 and 18; Human
Rights Committee, 81st sess., Concluding
Observations: Namibia, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/81/NAM (2004), para. 22; Human
Rights Committee, 79th sess., Concluding
Observations: Philippines, UN Doc. CCPR/CO/79/PHIL (2003), para. 18; Human
Rights Committee, 78th 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, 108th sess., Concluding
Observations: Finland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/FIN/CO/6 (2013), para. 8; Human
Rights Committee, 108th sess., Concluding
Observations: Ukraine, UN Doc. CCPR/C/UKR/CO/7 (2013), paras. 8 and 10;
Human Rights Committee, 107th sess., Concluding Observations: Belize, UN Doc. CCPR/C/BLZ/CO/1 (2013),
para. 13; Human Rights Committee, 107th sess., Concluding Observations: China (Hong Kong), UN Doc.
CCPR/C/CHN-HKG/CO/3 (2013), para. 23; Human Rights Committee, 107th
sess., Concluding Observations: Paraguay,
UN Doc. CCPR/C/PRY/CO/3 (2013), para. 9; Human Rights Committee, 107th
sess., Concluding Observations: Peru, UN
Doc. CCPR/C/PER/CO/5 (2013), para. 8; Human Rights Committee, 106th
sess., Concluding Observations:
Philippines, UN Doc. CCPR/C/PHL/CO/4 (2012), para. 10; Human Rights
Committee, 106th sess., Concluding
Observations: Turkey, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TUR/CO/1 (2012), paras. 8 and 10;
Human Rights Committee, 105th sess., Concluding Observations: Armenia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/ARM/CO/2 (2012),
para. 10; Human Rights Committee, 105th sess., Concluding Observations: Kenya, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KEN/CO/3 (2012),
para. 8; Human Rights Committee 105th sess., Concluding Observations: Lithuania, UN Doc. CCPR/C/LTU/CO/3 (2012),
para. 8; Human Rights Committee 104th sess., Concluding Observations: Dominican Republic, UN Doc.
CCPR/C/DOM/CO/5 (2012), para. 16; Human Rights Committee 104th
sess., Concluding Observations:
Guatemala, UN Doc. CCPR/C/GTM/CO/3 (2012), para. 11; Human Rights Committee
104th sess., Concluding
Observations: Turkmenistan, UN Doc. CCPR/C/TKM/CO/1 (2012), para. 21; Human
Rights Committee, 103rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Iran, UN Doc. CCPR/C/IRN/CO/3 (2011), para. 10; Human Rights
Committee, 103rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Jamaica, UN Doc. CCPR/C/JAM/CO/3 (2011), para. 8; Human
Rights Committee, 103rd sess., Concluding
Observations: Kuwait, UN Doc. CCPR/C/KWT/CO/2 (2011), para. 30; Human
Rights Committee, 101st sess., Concluding
Observations: Mongolia, UN Doc. CCPR/C/MNG/CO/5 (2011), para. 9; Human
Rights Committee, 100th sess., Concluding
Observations: Poland, UN Doc. CCPR/C/POL/CO/6 (2010), para. 8.