UNIS/SGSM/1312
15 May 2023
As we mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, we face a stark fact. In every corner of the world, LGBTQI+ people continue to face violence, persecution, hate speech, injustice and even outright murder.
Meanwhile, retrograde laws continue to criminalize LGBTQI+ people around the world, punishing them for simply being who they are.
Each assault on LGBTQI+ people is an assault on human rights and the values we hold dear.
We cannot and will not move backwards.
The United Nations firmly stands with the LGBTQI+ community, and will continue working until human rights and dignity are a reality for all people.
I renew my call to all Member States to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and end the criminalization of consensual same-sex relations and transgender people. Being yourself should never be a crime.
In keeping with this year’s theme — “Together Always: United in Diversity” — I call on the world to speak with one voice to eliminate the stigma, discrimination, harmful practices, and often deadly violence endured by LGBTQI+ people.
Human rights are non-negotiable. They belong to every member of the human family — no matter who they are or whom they love.
Let’s continue working to build a peaceful, just world in which all people are free and equal in dignity and rights.
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The new Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the United Nations (Vienna), Claudia Salerno Caldera, presented her credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
To commemorate International Moon Day the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA is issuing six postage stamps and three souvenir sheets featuring various pictures from lunar missions.
At its 57th session in New York, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) adopted four new texts (the UNCITRAL/UNIDROIT Model Law on Warehouse Receipts, the Statute of the Advisory Centre on International Investment Dispute Resolution, the UNCITRAL Model Clauses on Specialized Express Dispute Resolution, and the UNCITRAL Model Law on Automated Contracting) and agreed on a future programme of work.
"Nelson Mandela showed us the extraordinary difference one person can make in building a better world. And as the theme of this year's Nelson Mandela International Day reminds us – combatting poverty and inequality is in our hands." — António Guterres
