3^rd SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

JOINT STATEMENT

H.E. WEGGER CHR. STR MEN

AMBASSADOR

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF NORWAY TO THE

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATIONS IN GENEVA

Geneva, December 1, 2006

I have the honour to make this statement on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity on behalf of the following 54 States, including 18 members of the Human Rights Council:

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uruguay, and my own country Norway.

At its recent session, the Human Rights Council received extensive evidence of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including deprivation of the rights to life, freedom from violence and torture.

We commend the attention paid to these issues by the Special Procedures, treaty bodies and civil society.  We call upon all Special Procedures and treaty bodies to continue to integrate consideration of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity within their relevant mandates.

We express deep concern at these ongoing human rights violations.  The principles of universality and non-discrimination require that these issues be addressed.  We therefore urge the Human Rights Council to pay due attention to human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and request the President of the Council to provide an opportunity, at an appropriate future session of the Council, for a discussion of these important human rights issues.