Urge your government to affirm gender identity language at the Commission on Human Rights
 Action Alert


The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is on the verge of an historic breakthrough in the resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions that will be considered on Tuesday, April 20, 2005. After much lobbying and negotiation efforts from LGTBI, human rights and feminist organizations, the resolution on Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, E/CN.4/2005/L.47, was tabled (i.e. moved from informal to formal status for negotiations) by Sweden on April 13, 2005. The draft resolution includes references to both sexual orientation (as it has for several years) and gender identity (for the first time).

While the resolution will come before the Commission on Tuesday, the inclusion of both sexual orientation and gender identity in the formal draft can, itself, be considered a significant step forward. (see the 2005 Action Kit at http://www.iglhrc.org for more information about the Commission) Moreover, we believe that there is a good possibility that the resolution will be adopted with the inclusion of both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" as discriminatory reasons for which people are targeted for extra-judicial executions, and for which States are called upon to investigate promptly and thoroughly. Please lobby your governments immediately to ensure this significant step at the Commission on Human Rights.