Media Note: US convenes Arria Formula meeting to integrate LGBTI human rights into UN Security Council work
UNITED STATES MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2023
Media Note: US convenes Arria Formula meeting to integrate LGBTI human rights into UN Security Council work
The United States will hold an Arria Formula meeting to promote the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people on Monday, March 20 at 3:00 p.m. -Include individuals in the UN Security Council working to maintain international peace and security. The United States Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, will chair the meeting, which will be co-sponsored by Albania, France, Malta, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN independent expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), a position created in 2016, will brief the Council for the first time. Civil society representatives from Afghanistan and Colombia will also share their insights.
The United States first raised the issue of protecting the rights of LGBTI people before the Council in August 2015 in connection with ISIL’s crimes against LGBTI people in Iraq and Syria. Building on the Council’s previous efforts to address issues related to women and girls, children and youth and people with disabilities in conflict, this historic event recognized that human rights concerns of LGBTI people also have a place in the UN Security Council.
Building on a recent report by the UN independent expert on SOGI, this year’s meeting will focus on how gender, sexual orientation and gender identity dynamics play out in the context of armed conflict and recommend actions the Security Council can take to increase the inclusion of LGBTI perspectives Peacebuilding and Peacekeeping. US Special Envoy for the Advancement of LGBTQI+ People Jessica Stern will attend as part of the US delegation. More details are included in the attached concept note.
Media interested in in-person coverage of the event should contact [email protected]. Additional logistical details will be provided at the RSVP.
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