Human rights defender Elena Petrovska stands in front of the UN building in Geneva - ©ISHR
1,259 NGOs from 157 countries and territories have urged the Human Rights Council to continue the mandate of the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, up for renewal this session.
‘In every region of the world, widespread, grave, and systematic violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity persist.’
Human rights defenders and civil society organisations from around the world, including ISHR, have come together to raise their voices and ask for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI).
In 2016, the United Nations’ Human Rights Council took action to systematically address abuses based on SOGI by creating the mandate, renewing it twice, in 2019 and in 2022.
‘The UN human rights system—especially the Independent Expert on SOGI—is one of the few sources of legitimacy and visibility we have’ said Elena Petrovska from LGBTI Equal Rights Association (ERA) for Western Balkans/Turkey.
‘It is a moral and political shield. Its renewal is not symbolic; it is essential. Without it, our lives and struggles risk being even more invisible and abandoned’ she added.
Over the years, mandate holders have extensively documented discrimination and violence based on SOGI. They also sent over 171 communications documenting allegations of violations, and carried out 10 country visits.
'A decision by Council Members to renew this mandate would send a clear message that violence and discrimination against people of diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities cannot be tolerated. It would reaffirm that specific, sustained and systematic attention continues to be crucial to address these human rights violations and ensure that LGBT people are in fact free and equal in dignity and rights.'Global statement delivered on behalf of 1,200 organisations from 167 countries and territories
Watch the full statement:
The vote will take place in early July and ISHR, together with a global coalition are actively campaigning for the outcome to be positive. #RenewIESOGI!
The Human Rights Council has renewed the mandate of the only human rights expert within the United Nations system that is specifically dedicated to addressing violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans (LGBT) and gender diverse persons.
During Egypt's UPR adoption at HRC59, Nora Noralla delivered a joint statement on behalf of ISHR, Cairo 52 and Middle East Democracy Center. Watch and read the full statement below.
The 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council (16 June to 9 July 2025) will consider issues including civil society space, climate change, sexual orientation and gender identity, violence and discrimination against women and girls, poverty, peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of expression, among others. It will also present an opportunity to address grave human rights situations including in Afghanistan, Belarus, China, Eritrea, Israel and oPt, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela, among many others. Here’s an overview of some of the key issues on the agenda.
