Fridae

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights April 30 has launched a Bollywood-style  music video to promote its Free & Equal campaign for LGBT people.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as well as ministers from Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, the Netherlands and Norway, and senior officials from Japan, New Zealand and the European Union were at the first ever ministerial-level meeting to protect the human rights of LGBT people around the world.

Members of the UN Human Rights Committee expressed concern about reports of LGBT violations received from NGOs at the fourth periodic review of the compliance of the Philippines with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in Geneva this week.

The Human Rights Council's first-ever formal UN inter-governmental debate on violence and discrimination against LGBT people on March 7 was marked by the walk out by many representatives from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab group and the African group.

Hillary Clinton's fine speech in Geneva on LGBT rights saw the US playing catch-up to initiatives of a dozen other Western countries. As activists, we welcome the US to the process. But dawn is not yet breaking everywhere. There are many time zones. Douglas Sanders contemplates the time lag for Asia.

The resolution was passed narrowly with 23 votes in favour, 19 against and three abstentions. Today's resolution is the first UN resolution ever to bring specific focus to human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

When queried by France, UK, and other countries, the Singapore delegate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva reiterates that the Singapore police will not take action "against consenting adult males... unless their conduct breaks other laws, for instance laws against indecent public behaviour or paedophilia."

Gay rights groups around the world have hailed the development as a "stunning development" that has demonstrated "unprecedented support" for the Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity that calls on States to end violence, criminal sanctions and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The amendment narrowly passed 79-70 reversing the 2008 declaration that included an explicit reference to killings committed because of the victims' sexual orientation. IGLHRC reports.

The latest decision comes after a "no-action" vote last month by a bloc of anti-gay nations which stalled the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission's 3-year application process for consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.