Yogyakarta Principles forum(March 2011)

This summary recounts the proceedings of the Session 3, Yogyakarta Principles forum held at the Ilott Theatre, Wellington Town Hall, on March 16, 2011. The forum, presented by Julie Watson, focused on the advancement of human rights for the LGBTQI community in the Asia-Pacific region and discussed strategies and initiatives to promote equality and legal protection.

The session opened with an emphasis on interaction and dialogue to consider the path forward for the promotion of LGBTQI rights in the region. A recap of earlier presentations highlighted the significance of the Yogyakarta Principles, as introduced by John Fisher, a collection of existing human rights standards applied to LGBTQI individuals. Susan Glazebrook reinforced the need for a staged approach in implementing these principles but underscored the urgency for national human rights institutions (N HR IS) to make progress.

Throughout the forum, speakers shared insights from various countries within the Pacific and Asia regions. Discussions addressed the limited legal protections for LGBTQI people, with emphasis on the lack of enforcement mechanisms and support from N HR IS. Moreover, participants recognized the diverse terminologies used across countries to describe LGBTQI communities and the importance of understanding and respecting these differences.

Key issues identified during the forum included the decriminalization of same-sex conduct, legal documentation for transgender individuals, responses to torture and violence, anti-discrimination provisions, and health concerns related to HIV/AIDS and intersex health. Cultural and religious sensitivities were also discussed, acknowledging the delicate balance between promoting LGBTQI rights and navigating local belief systems.

Particularly impassioned contributions came from participants discussing the challenges faced by LGBTQI advocates in Muslim countries and the commendable work being done despite these obstacles. The recognition of regional diversity in terminologies and legislative frameworks added complexity to the discussions and pointed to the need for tailored advocacy strategies.

Following the thematic summaries, the participants formed small groups to further dissect the issues and propose actionable steps to be taken within the region. Group discussions emphasized the significance of awareness-raising, educational campaigns, and advocacy for LGBTQI rights, highlighting how UN processes, such as the Universal Periodic Review, could drive progress. The groups also considered how N HR IS and NGO S could work together more effectively, using documents like the Yogyakarta Principles as common reference points.

The session concluded with an emphasis on continued dialogue, cooperation among regional partners, and strategic use of international platforms to advance LGBTQI rights. Each group presented their findings, providing a comprehensive overview of the challenges faced and opportunities available in ensuring the rights and dignity of LGBTQI individuals in the Asia-Pacific area.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Julie Watson

2010s, asia pacific outgames (2011), human rights, julie watson, wellington town hall, yogyakarta principles (2006)

activities, advocate, anal sex, antarctica, anti discrimination, asia pacific outgames, australia, birth certificate, broken, bullying, change, children, choice, collaboration, communication, community, conference, conversation, courts, culture, data, depression, difference, dignity, discrimination, diversity, education, employment, environment, epidemic, equality, face, fiji, forum, france, fun, funding, future, gay, gender, gender identity, government, harassment, hate, health, health education, heterosexual, high court, history, hiv transmission, hope, human rights commission, identity, india, intersex, job, john fisher, knowledge, korea, language, law, lgbt, love, mainstream, malaysia, march, marriage, mental health, minority, msm, other, pacific, parents, partnership, passport, people, polynesia, priorities, privacy, race, rarotonga, recognition, religion, research, resource, review, sex, sexual orientation, social, statistics, straight, strength, stuff, suicide, support, surgery, tease, time, tokelau, torture, training, trans, trans woman, transgender, travel, treaty, understanding, united nations, violence, voice, wellington, work, zoo