Foreword

This bulletin on the United Nations Special Procedures and sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), is the first monthly update prepared by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

The bulletin consists of four main sections, namely:

latest reports, where one may find references to reports published by mandate holders recently that mention SOGIESC;

calls for inputs, where you can find opportunities for civil society to input into Special Procedures’ annual reports, and/or engage in public consultations and country visits;

a section of the upcoming nominations, selection and appointment of mandate holders;

and a section on useful resources with links to different sources that could be useful for defenders willing to engage with Special Procedures mandate holders.

While there is a lot of amazing work organized by different LGBTI groups, organisations and individual activists throughout the world, due to resource limitations our aim here is just to provide a brief compilation of information about latest developments and upcoming opportunities for engagement with Special Procedures. While all due care is taken in its preparation, there is no guarantee that it is fully comprehensive.

The current issue includes information about nineteen thematic and country reports presented by Special Procedures mandate holders during the 35^th (June 2017) session of the Human Rights Council; four open calls for civil society input; appointments at the 36^th (September 2017) and 37^th (March 2018) Human Rights Council; and the list of resources for advocacy through Special Procedures mechanisms, including a new communications database allowing for searches for specific cases and communications by keywords.

In particular we would like to highlight the following information that we think is particularly relevant for those working on SOGIESC issues:

• the high number of reports referencing SOGIESC issues at the 35^th HRC: including the reports of the Independent Expert on SOGI, the Special Rappporteur on Summary Executions, and the Special Rapporteur on Health.
• the call for inputs for the report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women for her report on online violence against women;
• the upcoming August 2017 visit to Samoa of the Working Group on Discrimination against women in law and practice;
• the upcoming September 2017 visit to Malaysia of the Independent Expert on Cultural rights;
• the upcoming November 2017 visit to India of the Special Rapporteur on Water & Sanitation;
• the upcoming December 2017 visit to the United States of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; and
• the shortlist of candidates for several mandates, especially the Working Group on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

In future bulletins we also plan to share information about different civil society groups or coalitions engaging with specific Special Procedures from a SOGIESC angle. In that light, please do let us know if you are coordinating or facilitating such engagement.

Finally, as this is a first edition we encourage you to give your feedback on this bulletin.

We look forward to working with you as you engage with this useful part of the UN system!

Kseniya Kirichenko,
UN Programme Officer (Treaty Bodies
and Special Procedures), ILGA
[email protected]

Latest Reports with SOGIESC references

This section is a collection of the latest reports by Special Procedures, where one may find references to reports published by mandate holders recently that mention SOGIESC that were presented at the 35^th UN Human Rights Council in June 2017.

• Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises
  • Report of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises on its mission to Mexico, A/HRC/35/32/Add.2 (para 80)

• Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions on a gender-sensitive approach to arbitrary killings, A/HRC/35/23 (paras 12, 16-20, 23, 45-47, 56, 60, 8996, 110 & 113-115)
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions on his mission to Honduras, A/HRC/35/23/Add.1 (paras 8, 33-34, 44-47 & 116)

• Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, A/HRC/35/28 (paras 60 & 61)
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association on his follow-up mission to the United States of America, A/HRC/35/28/Add.2 (paras 6 & 82)

• Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, A/HRC/35/21 (paras 48-50 & 58)
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health on his visit to Algeria, A/HRC/35/21/Add.1 (paras 73, 100 & 102)
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health on his visit to Croatia, A/HRC/35/21/Add.2 (paras 19, 67 & 83)

• Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, on her mission to Argentina, A/HRC/35/30/Add.3 (paras 12, 17-18, 34-38, 49 & 82)

• Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice
  • Report of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, A/HRC/35/29 (paras 41 & 90)
  • Report of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice on its mission to Hungary, A/HRC/35/29/Add.1 (paras 10, 12, 33, 68, 81, 95 & 100-101)
  • Report of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice on its mission to Kuwait, A/HRC/35/29/Add.2 (paras 35 & 91)

• Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, A/HRC/35/25 (para 42)
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants on his mission to Australia and the regional processing centres in Nauru, A/HRC/35/25/Add.3 (para 40)

• Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his mission to China, A/HRC/35/26/Add.2 (paras 39-41)

• Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, A/HRC/35/42 (paras 31-32, 38, 42 & 44)
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance on his mission to Argentina, A/HRC/35/41/Add.1 (paras 14, 59, 68, 74, 76, 81 & 96)

• Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
  • Report of the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, A/HRC/35/36

• Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus
  • Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, A/HRC/35/40 (paras 123 & 133-135)

Call for inputs, notifications of consultations or country visits

This section is a collection of the current calls for input where you can find opportunities for civil society to provide input into Special Procedures’ annual reports, and/or engage in public consultations and country visits.

Calls for Written Inputs

• Independent expert on foreign debt – “Guiding Principles for carrying out human rights impact assessments in relation to structural adjustment and austerity policies” – Deadline for contributions: 31 July 2017. Information submitted will inform a public hearing and expert meeting and forthcoming report of the Independent Expert that will be presented to the Human Rights Council in March 2018 (37^th HRC). Read more

• Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences – Online violence against women: call for existing good practices on law regulating violence against women and sexual harassment on-line – Deadline for contributions 30 September 2017. Report to be delivered in June 2018 (38^th HRC) Read more

• Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation – Call for general inputs and specific proposals relating to country visit to India (30 October to 10 November 2017) – Deadline for inputs 1 August 2017. Read more

Notification of public consultations

• • Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy – “Surveillance & Privacy – considering new measures at international law”: Public consultation – Deadline to register interest 10 September 2017. Read more

Upcoming Country Visits

The following country visits are soon taking place. This information is regularly updated by the OHCHR here.

*To find out how you can support the visits, please contact the respective mandate-holder at their email, found in the OHCHR directory.

Upcoming nomination, selection and appointment of Mandate Holders

This section contains details of the upcoming nominations, selection and appointment of mandate holders.

• Appointments to be made at the 36^th session of the Human Rights Council (September 2017): Application process for most positions closed on 8 June 2017. One position, however, remains open: the newly-created Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members where the deadline is 17 August 2017 (12.00 Noon GMT). Read more

The positions for which the application process has closed:

• Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
• Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (member from Western European and other States)
• Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice (member from African States)
• Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice (member from Asia-Pacific States)
• Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice (member from Eastern European States)
• Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice (member from Western European and other States)

For each of these positions, the candidates who applied can be found here. The Consultative Group is now in the process of shortlisting and interviewing these candidates. The Consultative Group’s list of recommended candidates will be issued in August 2017. The President of the Human Rights Council will consult with States and will make his recommendation based on this list in early September. The appointment will be made at the end of the HRC in September.

ILGA, together with other organizations, sent a letter to the Consultative Group regarding the selection process for the positions on the Working Group on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, requesting them to take into consideration certain criteria.

• Appointments to be made at the 37^th session of the Human Rights Council (March 2018): Application process not yet open.

• Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) (member from Africa)
• Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) (member from North America)
• Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order
• Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence
• Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, member from African States
• Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination (member from Eastern European States)
• Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination (member from Latin American and Caribbean States)

Useful Resources

• Factsheets on SOGIESC issues: 12 UN Special Procedures (by ILGA and ISHR)
• Regularly updated calendar and news about which Special Procedures expert is travelling where?
• New Special Procedures communications search website
• Latest report of cases of human rights violations taken up by Special Procedures
• Acts of intimidation and reprisal for cooperation with the Special Procedures
• Submission of information to the Special Procedures
• Special Procedures Database
• The UN Special Procedures – A Guide for Advocates Working on Human Rights Relating to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (by ARC International)