UNITED STATES MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2023
Media Advisory: U.S. to Convene Arria-Formula Meeting on Integrating the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons into the UN Security Council’s Work
The United States will hold an Arria-Formula meeting on Monday, March 20 at 3 p.m. in the ECOSOC Chamber at UN Headquarters on integrating the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) persons into the UN Security Council’s work to maintain international peace and security. United States Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, will chair the meeting, which is co-sponsored by Albania, Brazil, Cyprus, Czechia, France, Greece, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the UN LGBTI Core Group.
Víctor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN’s Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), a position created in 2016, will brief the Council for the first time ever. Artemis Akbary, founder and director of Afghan LGBT Organization, and María Susana Peralta Ramón, a lawyer and literature scholar who is part of the peace and transitional justice team at Colombia Diversa, will also share their insights.
The United States first brought the issue of protection of the rights of LGBTI persons before the Council in August 2015 in the context of ISIL’s crimes against LGBTI persons in Iraq and Syria. Building upon previous Council efforts to address issues related to women and girls, children and youth, and disabled persons in conflict, that historic event recognized that human rights concerns of LGBTI persons also have a place in the UN Security Council.
Expanding upon a recent report of the UN’s Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), this year’s meeting will focus on how gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity dynamics figure into the context of armed conflict and recommend actions the Security Council can take to further incorporate LGBTI perspectives in peacebuilding and peacekeeping. The U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons, Jessica Stern, will participate as part of the U.S. delegation. Additional details are included in the attached concept note.
The event will be livestreamed on UN Web TV. Media interested in covering the event in person should RSVP to USUN-PressInquiry@state.gov. Additional logistical details will be provided upon RSVP.
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