Ávarp Íslands í umræðum um réttindi hinsegin fólks

Davíð Logi Sigurðsson, deildarstjóri mannréttindamála í utanríkisráðuneytinu, flutti fyrir hönd Íslands ávarp í mannréttindaráði Sameinuðu þjóðanna 24. Júní 2019 í sérstakri umræðu um réttindi hinsegin fólks.

Clustered interactive dialogue with the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and the Special Rapporteur of Independence of Judges and Lawyers

24 June 2019

Statement by Iceland

Iceland thanks the Independent Expert and the Special Rapporteur for their latest reports.

Mr. Madrigal-Borloz, we warmly welcome the focus of your report. Iceland is a firm advocate of LGBTI-rights and of your mandate. We are looking forward to receiving you in Reykjavik later this year.

Last week, Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament, passed new legislation on gender self-identification, granting individuals over the age of fifteen the right to register their self-identified gender. In addition to ensuring the rights to gender self-identification, without specific requirements such as medical diagnosis or medical intervention, the legislation is also intended to protect the right to bodily integrity.

This milestone legislation is in line with the Government‘s policy prioritizing LGBTI rights. And we hope it brings us to the forefront of efforts to advance the status of LGBTI human rights globally.

Furthermore, I am happy to announce that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has, in order to demonstrate our commitment, decided to support OHCHR‘s Free & Equal program with 100.000 US Dollars. Free & Equal is a global UN public information campaign aimed at promoting equal rights and fair treatment of LGBTI people, an important task we should all support.

Mr. Madrigal-Borloz. We have seen important progress in some respects and I take this opportunity to welcome recent reports that Botswana has de-criminalized LGBTI-relationships. However, we are regrettably still a long way from ensuring full respect for LGBTI-rights globally and I would like to ask you, Mr. Madrigal-Borloz, how better data regarding conditions faced by LGBTI- individuals may help further your agenda.

I thank you.