Additional Recommendations

All members of society and of the international community have responsibilities regarding the realisation of human rights. We therefore recommend that:

a)     The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights endorse these Principles, promote their implementation worldwide, and integrate them into the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, including at the field-level;

b)     The United Nations Human Rights Council endorse these Principles and give substantive consideration to human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity, with a view to promoting State compliance with these Principles;

c)     The United Nations Human Rights Special Procedures pay due attention to human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and integrate these Principles into the implementation of their respective mandates;

d)     The United Nations Economic and Social Council recognise and accredit non-governmental organisations whose aim is to promote and protect the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, in accordance with its Resolution 1996/31;

e)     The United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies vigorously integrate these Principles into the implementation of their respective mandates, including their case law and the examination of State reports, and, where appropriate, adopt General Comments or other interpretive texts on the application of human rights law to persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities;

f)       The World Health Organization and UNAIDS develop guidelines on the provision of appropriate health services and care, responding to the health needs of persons related to their sexual orientation or gender identity, with full respect for their human rights and dignity;

g)     The UN High Commissioner for Refugees integrate these Principles in efforts to protect persons who experience, or have a well-founded fear of, persecution on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and ensure that no person is discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in relation to the receipt of humanitarian assistance or other services, or the determination of refugee status;

h)     Regional and sub-regional inter-governmental organisations with a commitment to human rights, as well as regional human rights treaty bodies, ensure that the promotion of these Principles is integral to the implementation of the mandates of their various human rights mechanisms, procedures and other arrangements and initiatives;

i)        Regional human rights courts vigorously integrate those Principles that are relevant to the human rights treaties they interpret into their developing case law on sexual orientation and gender identity;

j)       Non-governmental organisations working on human rights at the national, regional and international levels promote respect for these Principles within the framework of their specific mandates;

k)      Humanitarian organisations incorporate these Principles into any humanitarian or relief operations, and refrain from discriminating against persons on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the provision of aid and other services;

l)        National human rights institutions promote respect for these Principles by State and non-State actors, and integrate into their work the promotion and protection of the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities;

m)    Professional organisations, including those in the medical, criminal or civil justice, and educational sectors, review their practices and guidelines to ensure that they vigorously promote the implementation of these Principles;

n)     Commercial organisations acknowledge and act upon the important role they have in both ensuring respect for these Principles with regard to their own workforces and in promoting these Principles nationally and internationally;

o)     The mass media avoid the use of stereotypes in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, and promote tolerance and the acceptance of diversity of human sexual orientation and gender identity, and raise awareness around these issues;

p)     Governmental and private funders provide financial assistance, to non-governmental and other organisations, for the promotion and protection of the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

These Principles and Recommendations reflect the application of international human rights law to the lives and experiences of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, and nothing herein should be interpreted as restricting or in any way limiting the rights and freedoms of such persons as recognised in international, regional or national law or standards.