Introduction

The struggle to bring greater international scrutiny to the human rights plight of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people reached a landmark moment in 2016 with the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Council to create a dedicated special procedures mandate – an Independent Expert on protection from violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Independent Expert has many tasks, including investigating and reporting on human rights violations against LGBT people, assessing compliance with applicable international human rights instruments in this context, and making recommendations to States and other stakeholders as appropriate. The mandate builds on the work of existing United Nations human rights mechanisms, including special procedures and treaty bodies, the majority of which have addressed these issues to some extent in the context of their own, respective mandates.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Gender Equality

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions