International and national lgbt-politics

World congress on Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity

Paris, 15. May 2009

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International and national lgbt-politics

 

Mesdames, messieurs, Ministers, ambassadors, NGO-representatives. Good morning everybody!

During the 2006 session of the UN Human Rights Council, Norway had the honour to make a statement on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity on behalf of 54 states. We also had the honour to be in the core group behind last year’s follow-up statement in the General Assembly, that was supported by 66 countries.

I´m proud and delighted to be a part of this process, and this congress – which I believe represents a potential milestone. A milestone on the path to full freedom, full rights and safe and discrimination-free lives, also for the world’s lgbt-population (lesbians, gay, bi, transsexual-population). Let there be no doubt about what we are aiming for.

I will also stress that a sound policy development from here on, demands a continued and strengthened cooperation between many different actors: international and national NGOs, the UN, other international and regional organisations and national governments.

The road to reach the ends just mentioned - might be longer and rougher in some parts of the world, but the core questions that need to be answered are more or less the same.
- Is the majority population entitled to decide who should be considered marginal, and preferably invisible and silent?
- Is it within the privileges of the many – or rather the representatives of the majority – to limit and weaken the fundamental rights of the few?

I believe the answers to these simple questions are obvious. But at the same time it is equally obvious that quite a number of people feel perfectly comfortable that their words and actions are obstacles that keep other people from living on their own terms.

The perspective must of course be turned upside-down. Governments – WE – must ask – how do we need to organize ourselves – and all public services, so that we ensure that what the state offers is accessible to the full spectrum of diversity that its people represent. When there is a need to limit the access to certain services (for example because of limited economical means), that assessment should however focus upon individual needs, and not be based upon a persons gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, religious belief or ethnic background.

For years - and even decades - we have been struggling to achieve equal access to treatment, services, social arenas and job-opportunities for women, people with disabilities and for people living with HIV/AIDS. In a UN context the development of a political platform for lgbt-issues is a young, but aspiring process.

Our starting point is clear: Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons do indeed share the same fundamental rights as other minorities or in fact as any other person. And, furthermore, public authorities must feel committed to protect lgbts, as any other person, when their rights are threatened. Specifically for the lgbt-population, the right to free speech, the right to assembly, and the right to live a safe life without harassment, needs to be at the centre of any government’s attention.

To prevent discrimination and ensure equal access to public services, legislators, governments, employers, the police, schools and medical doctors must recognise their responsibilities towards lgbts. And they must start acting.

However – it is not necessary to start from scratch. Here – today, we have the opportunity to share experiences, point out the direction and identify what are the most important challenges. We can even suggest how these challenges can be dealt with in the most efficient fashion. We will gladly share any experiences from Norway that might be of interest.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just finalized a brochure “Promoting the human rights of LGBT”. It contains seven brief guidelines for systematising and strengthening efforts by Norwegian embassies to promote the rights of LGBT people. Some activities might seem obvious: like networking with other like-minded embassies an maintaining contact with organisations representing LGBT people locally. But we know that our embassies have many tasks, and LGBT rights may not always be a priority. The guidelines also sat that embassies should raise the issue of LGBT rights in their talks with authorities and human rights organisations. Furthermore, embassies supporting hiv/aids activities should encourage access to equal treatment for LGBT people. The last point is linked to reports of abuse or arrest of LGBT people. What should embassies do? There are no simple answers, but some guidance is provided. We are distributing the guidelines to our embassies now and look forward to responses on its use. NGOs can make reference to the guidelines when approaching a Norwegian embassy in cases regarding LGBT.

The questions we are going to address here are what we should bring into the discussions at home and into the upcoming debates on Human Rights within the UN.

This week Norway was included in the UN Human Rights council. In the years to come we will take an active role in the international anti-discrimination effort with a clear focus on the promotion of Human rights. Our goals is to ensure that individuals can be protected against violence and harassment and to increase the number of people who experience that they have access to the rights that are already included in existing human rights regulations.

I look forward to learning more from other governments, international experts and from the civil society. I am honoured to be here with several brave people who have played an important role in bringing us this far.
Together we can reach out to include even more supporters, and I look forward to a rewarding day with you all.