Online discussion on Global Thematic Consultation on Addressing Inequalities on development and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people
Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 10:00PM 
The online discussion on development and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people for the Addressing inequalities Thematic Consultation has started. It is a collaborative effort between the Global Thematic Consultation on Addressing Inequalities (co-led by UNICEF and UN Women), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the LGBT rights advocacy organization ARC International. It will run until 30 November.
To participate, please visit the site http://www.worldwewant2015.org/node/282631 and post your response in the discussion forum. You are invited to register to the consultation here. The site is available in English, French and Spanish. You are welcome to post your comments in any of the sixty languages supported by Google Translate.
The discussion is co-moderated by John Fisher and Kimberley Vance, co-directors of ARC International, and Toiko Tõnisson Kleppe, Associate Human Rights Officer at OHCHR.
The consultation aims to be as broad and open as possible, in order to enable a multitude of voices to be heard from academia, media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, private sector, governments and the UN System. You are invited to join in envisioning a world where freedom from violence and discrimination enables LGBT and intersex people, wherever they live, to contribute their full potential to the development of their societies.
The recommendations emerging from the contributions will be incorporated into a report on ‘Addressing Inequalities in the Post-2015 Development Agenda’, to be presented at a high-level meeting in February 2013 in Copenhagen. The report will also be transmitted to the High-level Panel on Post-2015, appointed by the UN Secretary-General.
To kick off the global conversation, we invite you to reflect on the following questions, among others:
Root causes and key messages:
- What are the most important forms of inequalities faced by people on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity that hinder development in both developed and developing countries?
- What are the major structural root causes of these inequalities, within and among different societies? How can these be altered or overcome?
The second phase of the discussion will look at arguments that can be used to counter claims that invoke religion, culture and tradition as reasons not to protect human rights of LGBT and intersex people. The discussion will conclude with a discussion of ‘Policy and Action’, where we will be seeking examples of policies which have been successful in addressing inequalities experienced by LGBT people, and asking what actions and initiatives could be taken by different stakeholders, including civil society, to bring about lasting improvements in these inequalities.