OSSTF/FEESO signs on to the global statement to support the renewal of the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (IE SOGI)

OSSTF/FEESO is proud of its ongoing advocacy and allyship with the 2SLGBTQI+ community. As a world member of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), OSSTF/FEESO has endorsed the global statement to support the renewal of the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on SOGI.

In 2016, the UN Human Rights Council created a mandate for an Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. UN procedures require a mandate renewal every three years. Governments will need to pass a resolution at the June/July 2022 session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The global statement works to urge governments to pass the required resolution to continue this important work.

More information about the Mandate of the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (IE SOGI) can be found on the UN Human Rights YouTube channel. In general, the goals of the IE SOGI are:

• To research, examine, and provide visibility to the violence and discrimination experienced every day by 2SLGBTQI+ individuals around the world; and
• To advise member states on best practices and measures needed to prevent, prosecute, and punish violence and discrimination through law, access to justice, and public policy.