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Well, it's a great privilege and honour for me to be here and to be part of this closing session. And I just want to, um say, however, that, uh, Barry is an incredibly difficult act to follow as a chair I've seldom found heard anyone [00:00:30] that was so witty and focused and had such edge and such style and such energy, um as he has. And, uh uh, I I And this conference is clearly an enormous, um, reflection of all of those things as well as all of the many people who have worked to support it and make it happen. And I have to say that I've [00:01:00] been getting, you know, the odd text from people because I had to return to new to Auckland on on Wednesday. And really, I don't I've seldom felt such energy and enthusiasm from a conference, certainly not in the last decade. And so, um, I think out of this will come the next sort of level of transformation in different ways in all of our societies. And, um and I know that that energy that [00:01:30] you have generated coming together and the things that you've learned from each other will actually benefit those well beyond this room and this place. So it's it's really fantastic just to be a small part of it. Now, what we've we've got for this final plenary session, um, is a keynote speech from, uh, John Fisher, and I'll introduce him in a minute. And then we've got, uh, commentary from three people, and I'll introduce them when [00:02:00] we get to them, and then the rest of the session is open to you so that we can actually have some engagement and comment and and discussion. So I have, um, told John that I will be waving at him quite, you know, obviously after 20 minutes. So he knows he only got 25 after that, so that there will be time for others to contribute from the floor. Because one of the things that is extraordinary, um, about this conference is the rich diversity. [00:02:30] Um, that's represented here in so many different ways. And I know people have also said to me the one frustration of the conference has been that they could only go to one session at a time. And there are always sessions in the other streams that they'd love to have equally been out at. So this is a bit of an opportunity to share just some of the, um the treasures from right across the conference before we finally close with our at 3. 30. So I won't say [00:03:00] anymore. But just to briefly introduce John Fisher, Uh, who is co-director of a RC International, a project driven organisation which advances lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights internationally. Originally, uh, John is from New Zealand, and we've just sort of started to reclaim him. Um, those of us who've just discovered him recently Um, he certainly adds to our mana internationally. I have to say, [00:03:30] um, he has a B a and llB honours. Um spent two years as a judge's clerk and moved to Canada in 1991 where he completed an LLLLM thesis on lesbian and gay rights and international law at Queen's University. In 1992 he was the founding executive director of of, uh Canada, Canada's National LGBT Equality Organisation. In a position which he held from 1994 to 2002, he participated [00:04:00] in the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993 where he became the first openly gay person to address the UN World Conference. And actually, you know, as a New Zealander again claiming you as a New Zealander rather than a Canadian At that point, um, I think that there's something special about that and similarly, uh, just about four years ago, Uh, [00:04:30] during the negotiations for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Um, a New Zealand leader of People First, which is the organisation that represents people with an intellectual disability. Um was the first person with an intellectual disability to speak at the United Nations in New York. And I think these are all really, um, precious symbols of a more inclusive, um, and [00:05:00] participatory process, um, at the international level, um, and which you know which we need to treasure, but also to build on, because I think there's often a lot of criticism of the United Nations as if it's some esoteric body out there. Actually, it's made up of all our states, and what actually happens there depends on what our governments decide should happen there. But it's increasingly ordinary people from the world around the world. Civil society, members of civil society [00:05:30] and activists are able to have a voice and we need to build on those, um, as as John, uh, you know, did In 1993 in 2004, he relocated to Geneva as the a R CS representative to better facilitate NGO engagement with the United Nations human rights mechanisms. And I think those of you who have been following, um, the campaign on the statement, uh, will have [00:06:00] a tiny taste of just how effective he is. Um, in organising, uh, at that level, he's been involved in both the institutional building and the substantive work of the Human Rights Council since its inception. And and I can certainly, um a affirm the extent to which he's developed extraordinarily, um, positive relationships with states with NGO S with the special procedures treaty body members with the, uh, UN personnel [00:06:30] and others, and, uh, and and works actively to connect human rights defenders around the world. So on that, John, welcome. It's great to have you here. It's yours. It's good to be home. [00:07:00] One of the hardest decisions of my life was leaving New Zealand to work internationally, but here today, at this conference I've never felt more at home and more amongst the the brothers and sisters of my country and and of the Asia Pacific region. And I trust that you all feel as invigorated as I do to feel part of this great and to be able to participate in this amazing event. So kudos to the organisers. [00:07:30] There have been many highlights of this conference, but before going any further, one I want to mention is the the trans and intersex that took place on Tuesday. Congratulations to Jack for making it happen. And to all of the people who participated, I myself felt so immensely privileged to be able to to feel so welcome in that space and and honestly, for me, it was one of the most thought provoking [00:08:00] and enriching experiences of my life. Uh, and that's something that I will take away from this conference and and keep with me forever. At times like this, it's natural to reflect a little bit on how far we've come and some of the challenges that still lie ahead and because I believe very strongly that the personal is political. There are many times in this room over the last few days when I've been taken back to the Times when I was growing up in New Zealand, when homosexuality was still a criminal offence. And like many of you I, [00:08:30] I, uh, grew up during during that period, uh, very much feeling that as a as a teenager, I was the only one, struggling to come to terms with my sexuality at a time when all of the media portrayals were were negative. Uh, and even worse, I believed the social messages that homosexuals were sick, disgusting and wrong. And I clearly remember the day when homosexual law reform went through in New Zealand. Uh, I was still in the closet. I hadn't told another living soul, uh, that I was gay. I was walking [00:09:00] to, uh uh, to university and on every corner in the, uh, in the stores in the, uh, in the newspaper stands, the the main headline was homosexuality. Decriminalised. There was nobody else I could talk to about this, but I read those those banner headlines, Uh, and for just a moment, the sun had happened, came through the clouds, and it felt to me as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders from my shoulders. And for the first time in my life, I could stand on the soil of the country that I loved so much and feel [00:09:30] that I belonged. And I knew then that there was nothing wrong with me, nothing that needed to be changed. What was wrong and needed to be changed was the attitudes of society that could have made me feel the way that I did. Much has changed since then, and, uh, and much like our own personal struggles work to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and sex rights at the United Nations is a long and slow and and challenging process. Uh, GTA reminded us yesterday of the of the Gandhi [00:10:00] quote. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you. Then they fight you and then you win. And certainly at the international level and in our countries around the world, we've long been ignored. We've long felt the stigma of invisibility and silence. We've sustained the ridicule of being laughed at. We've certainly felt the backlash of being fought against, but gradually, bit by bit, I believe that change is coming and that we are winning. Rosin mentioned the World Conference on Human Rights [00:10:30] in Vienna in 1993 which I spoke at, Uh, and I didn't actually realise at the time that I It was the first time that, uh, a LGBT person or a gay man had and then in my case, had addressed a a UN, uh, world conference. Um, I took the floor, and there had been many NGO speakers before me, so I felt I was just one of a long line and, as always, happens when NGO S take the floor and states lose interest. The noise level in the room was rising and rising, and I began reading my prepared speech and suddenly became aware that there was dead silence that had descended across the room. Uh, [00:11:00] and suddenly people began gathering in front of me. There were, uh, cameras going off. Uh, and at the end of it, a little crowd had had gathered. Um, but what stood out for me was a delegate who came up to me, and I could tell from his badge that he was from one of the the government delegations. Uh, though I couldn't see which, uh and he came up to me he shook my hand and he had tears in his eyes and said, Thank you. That's the first time I've heard those words pronounced in a UN space. And then he kind of looked nervously, looked over his shoulder and disappeared into the crowd. And it [00:11:30] reminded me, particularly as we see how far how far we have come these days, that there was a time when one couldn't say the words lesbian or transgender in a UN space. And to do so provoked an immediate and vigorous backlash. We still face challenges to today at the international level. Uh, many of you will be aware that in 2003, Brazil presented a resolution on sexual orientation and human rights. At that point, it did not include gender identity, although subsequent initiatives have, [00:12:00] uh, But when it presented the resolution, there was such a backlash that it was deferred for a year and then for another year and eventually quietly withdrawn from the Human Rights Council agenda, uh, without even being discussed, let alone put to a vote. Just last year, uh, states at the United Nations General Assembly gathered together to vote sexual orientation out of a reference, uh, or a reference to sexual orientation. Sorry out of a resolution on extrajudicial executions, because some states couldn't even tolerate the [00:12:30] idea that we should acknowledge that killings against members of our communities are wrong. Thankfully, that decision was subsequently reversed, although again, gender identity was not included in the resolution signalling how far we still have to go to raise awareness and increase respect for the rights of those who are transgender, transsexual and intersex. One of the themes of this conference has been the the Jakarta principles. And I think the, uh, the cover of the guide is there on the screen, and you have received [00:13:00] the principles in, uh, in your conference kits. These are a set of principles on the application of international human rights law in relation to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. They were developed to fulfil a gap in international human rights protection, where many states refuse to recognise, uh, international human rights law as even applying to those of us who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex. Of course, the protections are there. They're there in all of the international [00:13:30] instruments, but it was necessary and felt necessary by the participating experts to meet together together and to put in one document these standards, which affirm that everybody has the right to life, that no one should be subject to torture, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, that everyone has a right to freedom of expression to non discrimination and access to health care and housing and education, uh, to bodily integrity and to affirm for ourselves our own identities without state interference. Some people have described [00:14:00] the Yogyakarta principles as groundbreaking, but I actually disagree. They break no new ground. They are simply an affirmation of the fundamental principle that runs throughout international human rights law. And it's reflected in the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights, and that all human beings includes every one of us that we are the equal of every other human being on this planet, that we're all connected, and we're all entitled to enjoy [00:14:30] the same freedom, dignity and rights. It's a principle so obvious that it almost shouldn't need stating, but sadly, too often it does as the patterns of human rights violations around the world remind us so tragically on such a regular basis, whether it's a lesbian who is raped in an attempt to cure her of her of her sexual orientation, whether it's a transgender person who was beaten or killed on the streets with [00:15:00] little state interest or police response, whether it's a gay teenager who takes his own life because he cannot stand any longer the abuse that he faces from his peers, the Yogyakarta principles continue to have resonance precisely because they remind us that we are all entitled to enjoy these basic human rights protections. And more importantly, they provide us with a tool to remind our governments that they have a a solemn responsibility as members of the international community to ensure that our rights are respected just as those of any other [00:15:30] citizen of any other human being. At the same time, we know that our our voices will not be silenced, and it's also fitting on a conference like this and in our lives as we as we move forward to reflect on the progress that we have seen, I mentioned that there was a time when words like lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender intersex were not even named in UN fora. But much of that has changed and if I can find or if I can make this thing work. This is an excerpt from an address [00:16:00] that the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki moon, made on World Human Rights Day, December the 10th last year. And in talking on World Human Rights Day, which is the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ban Ki moon specifically spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in New York at an event organised to address issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. And in his speech, he said, it is not called the partial declaration of human rights. It is not the sometimes declaration of human rights. It is the Universal [00:16:30] Declaration guaranteeing all human beings their basic human rights, without exception. When our fellow humans are persecuted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, we must speak out. Human rights are human rights everywhere for everyone and to me, it's an amazingly powerful reminder when we see how we've moved from the days when the issues couldn't be [00:17:00] named to one where the secretary general of the United Nations, the highest figure in the UN hierarchy himself, is taking the floor on his own initiative and calling for all states to end human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We've seen many great signs of progress in regions and countries around the world as well. One of the powerful new tools that the United Nations has adopted for improving the human rights situation in states around the world is the universal periodic review. It's called universal because every single [00:17:30] UN member state, large and small, must come before the United Nations Human Rights Council on a repeating four year basis and present their human rights situation. Receive recommendations from any other state around the world as to how to improve the human rights situation and give a response and make commitments as to what they will do to address those concerns. And we've seen tremendous take up throughout the Universal periodic review by LGBTI activists in countries and regions around the world to hold their governments [00:18:00] accountable and to make recommendations to decriminalise same sex conduct to ensure that trans people have access to government documentation that accords with their self defined gender identity to ensure that sexual orientation and gender identity are included as grounds in non discrimination acts. To ensure that states undertake obligations to train police officers to better respond to hate crimes against members of our communities. The array of issues is only as as limited as the issues that we, as our communities, [00:18:30] choose to put before the United Nations. Of course, states can give whatever responses they wish. Sometimes they are favourable, sometimes they are not. But at least they must respond to all recommendations and answer to the concerns and to the demands of our communities. A very positive example recently was Nauru, a small island state, as you know, which presented before the the Human Rights Council just about a month ago and in their own state presentation, the minister of justice from Nauru said. Yes, we still have colonial laws prohibiting [00:19:00] consensual same sex conduct. These laws are anachronistic and we pledge to repeal them. And that, to me is a tremendous example of how we can use the international tools to make sure that these laws are changed and how governments across the region are themselves gradually beginning to realise that their own laws are outdated and that they need to change. We've spoken a number of times at the conference about the joint statement on ending violence, criminal sanctions and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. [00:19:30] This will be presented at the Human Rights Council next Tuesday if its that remain in full swing. Although we gave today, I think as a as a deadline for governments to respond. If you still are in touch with your governments, we won't turn anybody away if they still come forward on Monday and beg to be added to the list. Um, I'm pleased to advise that as of now we now have more than 80 states who have supported and in particular [00:20:00] in particular, in the last 24 hours we've seen support from Guatemala, uh, Ecuador and Timor Leste, East Timor, as we've also heard, However, there is concern about a potential counter statement, and there's even concern that states hostile to the joint statement may try and present a negative resolution which has even greater impact in restricting the rights and the ability of the international mechanisms to address [00:20:30] issues of concern to members of our communities. So, of course, the work will continue throughout next week, both to promote the positive aspects but also to respond to the challenges that predictably, we continue to face. I mentioned yesterday that one of the states that has supported the joint statement just within the last 24 to 48 hours is the government of Rwanda. And this also I think, is a significant example of how times are changing, even within spaces that are [00:21:00] that are difficult. And I wanted to read you just a short excerpt from a speech made by the ambassador of Rwanda in the General Assembly in December last year when the amendment to include sexual orientation in the resolution on killings came up for a vote. And the the ambassador of Rwanda took the floor before the entire General Assembly of the United Nations and said people with a different sexual orientation continue to be the target of murder in many of our societies and are even more at risk than [00:21:30] many of the other groups listed. This is, unfortunately a reality, and recognising that does not in any way constitute a call for special rights but is simply a cry to ensure that their fundamental right the right to life, a right enjoyed by you and by me is not violated. To refuse to recognise this reality for legal or ideological or cultural reasons would have the consequence of continuing to hide our heads in the sand and of failing to alert states to those very real situations which break families. [00:22:00] Believe me, Mr President, that a human group does not need to be legally defined to be the victim of execution or massacre. Indeed, Rwanda had this bitter experience 16 years ago. That is why the delegation of Rwanda will vote in favour of this amendment and calls on other delegations to do the same. And it's clear. I think, that when states from regions around the world are drawing upon their own histories, their own experiences of discrimination, of violence, [00:22:30] of massacre, to recognise that we all are part of one human family and to commit to recognising the equal rights of members of our communities. Then there is great hope for the future and great hope for for moving forward. Of course, this kind of change does not happen by itself. It happens because of the, uh the work and the dedication and the commitment and the bravery of activists in countries around the world. And that's where one of the most powerful new tools, uh, for advancing and [00:23:00] implementing the Dodger Carter principles comes in. Many of you will have heard about the activists guide to the to the Dodger car principles. Yep, I got it. Uh, and this is a copy of the of the guide itself At the top, we have, uh, the website address at which you can download a copy of the guide and there's also there an order form at which you can order as many copies as you like. What's powerful about the guide is that it provides a toolkit for understanding the Georg Jakarta principles [00:23:30] in more detail and gives examples of case. Studies of how the Georg Jakarta principles and the legal standards are outlined in the Jakarta principles have been successfully applied by activists in countries and regions around the world. And I have to say, as one of the people who had been involved in the process leading to the adoption of the Dr Jakarta principles, I'm constantly amazed at the the creativity and the the uses by which activists around the world have have applied these legal these legal principles on their face [00:24:00] the legal. The principles could easily be seen as dry legal document without much relevance or impact in our lives. Uh, but in fact, activists have have taken them up and and used them around the world. In South Africa, there is a A calendar dedicated to the DOD Jakarta principles. Uh, with each month dedicated to a different principle and a quote from an activist on what that principle means, uh, in their lives. Uh, there's a group that has used the DOD Jakarta principles to lobby for education rights. In in guana uh, there's a document which maps [00:24:30] the principles against the Nigerian Constitution and for each gear principle, it's compared with an equivalent commitment in the Constitution of Nigeria. And I had a couple of other examples here as well, which I wanted to share with you. This also is a publication that's been produced in Kenya by activists there in collaboration with the Kenyan Human Rights Commission and therefore representing a great example of a partnership between activists and their National Human Rights Commission [00:25:00] to advance these issues within their society. This is a comic that's been produced in Indonesian. Uh, it's in English and Indonesian, uh, by, uh, groups within, uh, within Indonesia. And it's a It's a wonderful example of, uh, a comic illustration of the DOD Jakarta principles telling the story of a young woman who is coming out as a lesbian in school, faces harassment and violence rejection by her family, but goes on to discover at each stage of her life [00:25:30] and each chapter of the comic. It's compared against a one of the principles of the Jakarta principles, whether it's the right to education, the right to be free from violence, the right to participate in family and cultural life. Or ultimately, as the book concludes, the right to To Found a family, which is also one of the the internationally recognised human rights. This one I really like. It's a translation of the Jakarta principles into. I wasn't initially sure of. What language does anybody know? What language? OK, it's actually Lithuanian. As I as [00:26:00] I discovered recently, I, uh, I first just thought it was really, really colourful, and the inside is even better. Um, I must say our our own visual creativity when the initial jaar uh, principles were developed was rather limited. It's this kind of drab purple book, but that's the other thing That's wonderful about sharing it with our communities is that since then there have been many more colourful examples and translations that have been produced. So these are just some examples of the ways in which, uh, the the Jaar principles have been given life by activists around the world. Um, I'll just conclude in relation to, uh, the [00:26:30] activists guide by, uh, mentioning as I did earlier, that on the website there is an order form at which you can order as many copies of either the the principles themselves or the activists guide in different languages. Uh, and that's our our organisation. Should you wish to find out more about our work? That's my my little plug there. But I guess in closing, I'd like to say that although the DOD Jakarta principles were developed by international human rights experts, they now belong to to all of us, as does our struggle for, uh, for equality [00:27:00] more broadly and having participated in this conference, uh, for the last few days, I can certainly say that, uh, that that it could be in no better hands. In terms of of the next steps, we know that there will be challenges ahead. But when we face those challenges and whenever we we feel alone or isolated in our struggles, uh, whenever we feel that we need to take heart, I'd like you to to ask you to To remember this moment and to take a moment now to to look around [00:27:30] this room and feel the spirit and the energy and the positive engagement of all of the people who are here and know that you are are never alone. We are from all corners of the the region. We are from beyond. We are many, but we are also one. And when we raise our voices together, we know that our cause is just our spirit is true, and as a movement, we are unstoppable. [00:28:00] I think John has inspired us to go out on a really high note and a note that just focuses on the importance of human rights for every one of us as individuals, but also as groups as part of society. [00:28:30] And I sometimes think that, um, those who have sought to denigrate human rights have sometimes claimed well, they're only about individuals. But if you look at those rights, there's not a single right in the universal Declaration that you could have without being part of society. There's not a single right that doesn't need others around us to acknowledge it and, um, to respect it and for us to do the same. So and I think that one of the [00:29:00] great things about a conference like this as well for me certainly is the extent to which the the contributions from those from many different societies, um and because I live in this part of the world, particularly from the Pacific, constantly adds to my understanding of what human rights might really mean and what's needed to put them into effect. So our understanding is evolving, though that wonderful statement in the of the Universal Declaration, Um, it's amazing [00:29:30] that after 64 years, it still it still resonates for people everywhere. John, I think, um, you know, you really have um showed us that it's possible to envisage a future where everyone can be who they are, can be confident in who they are and can have a place to stand at in a society, Um, where they experience dignity, equality [00:30:00] and security. I mean, that's the fundamentals of human rights. And, uh, and we can all contribute and have a responsibility to contribute to building that society and to building, um, a place with the wonderful richness of human diversity, including amongst sexual and gender. Minorities is not merely tolerated, but is celebrated.
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