From: steff@inet.uni2.dk
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 23:49:00 +0200 (METDST)
Subject: [euroletter] UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS MEETS WITH
 INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY GROUP IN HISTORIC FIRST

UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS MEETS WITH
INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY GROUP IN HISTORIC FIRST

Geneva, 8 October, 1998: In an historic meeting today the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, met with a delegation
from the International Lesbian and Gay Association to discuss the
advancement of lesbian and gay rights as human rights. This is the first
meeting between a gay organisation and a High Commissioner.

The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) represents over 400
organisations in more than 75 countries around the world. ILGA has
previous worked to stop homosexuality being classified as a disease by
the World Health Organisation, with Amnesty International on the
inclusion of lesbians and gay men as prisioners of conscience and most
recently were granted consultative status with the Council of Europe.
ILGA celebrates its 20th anniversary this year - making it the oldest
international lesbian and gay lobbying group in the world.

Jennifer Wilson and Jordi Petit - joint Secretaries General, and Kurt
Krickler, co-Chair of the regional division ILGA Europe, met with Mrs
Robinson following an invitation from her office. "The meeting was
extremely positive and is clearly the start of an on-going dialogue with
the Office of the High Commissioner, especially as Mrs Robinson has now
appointed a liaison person in her office for ILGA to maintain stronger
links with" said Jennifer Wilson. Jordi Petit added "Her request for us
to supply material to help in the training of lesbian and gay awareness
for all UN employees and working groups, including rapporteurs and
treaty bodies shows her recognition of ILGA as the peak NGO on lesbian
and gay rights."

The meeting also discussed ILGA producing a definitive report on the
human rights abuses of lesbians and gay men internationally and the
Commissioner indicated that this would be extremely useful in lobbying
the UN for the appointment of a special rapporteur on lesbian and gay
rights. Currently lesbians and gay men are murdered by death squads in
Mexico and Brazil; live in fear of the death penalty in Afghanistan,
Iran and other nations under Sharia law; are denied access to lesbian
and gay literature in Singapore and do not have equal human rights with
heterosexuals in any nation of the world.

"It is clear that Mrs Robinson views her role as a catalyst - and
information is the first tool to achieve change." said Kurt Krickler. A
copy of the ILGA Europe report on the status of lesbians ang gay men in
the 15 nations of the EU and a copy of ILGA's manifesto "Lesbian and Gay
Rights are Human Rights" was left with the Commissioner. Another meeting
is planned for early next year.



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