During the latest 48th session of the HRC, in continuing its UN work and active engagement at the Human Rights Council GIN organized a side event on “Reclaiming Family Values”; also intervened in 3 interactive dialogues of 3 UN Special Rapporteurs with 3 members of GIN who spoke during sessions.
Side event on Reclaiming Family Values
In demonstrating the wide range of actors, reflective from the regional seminars on “Family and Traditional Values”, GIN-SSOGIE, hosted a side event on “Reclaiming Family Values on the 15th September 2021. This side event was meant to feature stories and projects from around the world celebrating diversity, love, and inclusion by centering the voices of under-represented groups, predominantly from the Global South and East through the launch of an extensive report “Reclaiming Families and Traditional Values‘.
The event reached the international community, including governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and faith leaders, with the intent to offer a unique opportunity for the participants with all backgrounds to enrich their knowledge on the varied realities of families worldwide and thereby promote a safe space for all.
6 speakers were engaged as panelists from the Philippines, Argentina, Australia/Samoa, Morocco, Guyana and Kenya and the moderator, form Russia The event co-organized together with COC Netherlands, FRI, IFED and RFSL Sweden, with co-sponsorship of the delegation Norway to the UN. The event received over 90 online registrants.
The link to the Event Recording: https://youtu.be/Tbrn_JYsVC4
Statements
ID with Special Rapporteur on rights of indigenous peoples
“Stigma, discrimination, restrictive laws and policies compounded by systemic racism and sexism amid the COVID-19 pandemic had and continue to have a greater impact on LBTQ indigenous women and girls. Despite the fact that many of us are people of faith and culture, people believed to belong to the LGBTI+ community are scapegoated in the name of protecting cultural and religious beliefs, especially in times of crisis, including during COVID.”
For the interactive dialogue of the Special Rapporteur on rights of indigenous peoples, our GIN member Cavid Nabiyev, working for the Global Interfaith Network, delivered a statement, in which discussed issues around the effective participation, consultation, and consent of the indigenous peoples and communities in the recovery phase from the COVID-19 pandemic and related plans.
The statement spoke to the instrumentalization and politicization of women’s bodies, particularly in relation to their rights to sexual and reproductive health, in the name of protecting cultural and religious beliefs. In this intersection, the statement emphasized the importance of acknowledging the fact that structural discrimination that deeply embedded in histories of patriarchy, colonization, conquest, and marginalization.
As a recommendation, the statement underlined the importance of engaging in a sustained dialogue with indigenous peoples and communities through the dialogue with religious leaders, from all spiritual and religious traditions around the world, particularly in terms of sexuality and gender.
The link to the Statement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlKkhl_FpLk
ID with Special Rapporteur on Elderly people
“the exclusion of diverse family models, particularly affects older LGBTI persons. At a certain age most people wish to be surrounded by their children, grandchildren and their partners. It is therefore even fundamental for even LGBT people to be able to create families, depriving them of this right is depriving them of their human rights”
For the interactive dialogue of the Special Rapporteur on Elderly persons, our GIN member, Oumaima Dermoumi delivering a statement, urging the member states of the UN Human rights council to ensure the inclusion of all expressions of gender and sexuality and to strengthen the systems of recognition of all various forms of families.
The link to the Statement: ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4thbwe9uiHE
ID with Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
“In many contexts, racism and xenophobia intersect with homo- and transphobia, and LGBTI communities face high levels of discrimination, often seen as threats within their own societies, communities and religious circles. In my country, as in many in Africa, homosexuality is seen as a ‘western’ concept, and LGBTI people face discrimination from the state, educational and religious institutions, and their own families. This rhetoric is fueled by conservative faith-based groups, including from abroad.”
For the interactive dialogue of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Angelinah Montshiwa, a Queer rights activist based in Botswana, working for the Global Interfaith Network, delivered a statement.
The statement highlighted the growing racial discrimination, trends of xenophobic attacks, brutal killings fueled by fear, and foreigners often depicted as threats to economic opportunities which has been perpetrated by fundamentalist movements, influencing some political parties and governments.
Also as recommended by the Special Rapporteur, the statement called upon states to exercise effective measures in combating all forms of intolerance in accordance with international human rights standards.
The link to the Statement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XORCD45Te4&t=5s
