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Albania: UN expert to assess human rights of LGBT persons
28 June 2024
GENEVA (28 June 2024) – The UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Graeme Reid, will conduct an official visit to Albania from 1 to 12 July 2024.
The expert will assess the implementation of national and international human rights standards to combat violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other gender-diverse (LGBT) persons in Albania at a time of considerable economic growth and social change.
Reid will travel to Tirana, Shkoder, Kukes, Vlore, Sarande and Korce to meet with government officials, civil society representatives, the international community and others involved in the protection of the human rights of LGBT persons and others.
By gathering information on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Reid aims to identify good practices and opportunities for improvement and develop recommendations to the Government of Albania on how to address any challenges in line with international human rights law and standards.
The Independent Expert will hold a press conference to share his preliminary findings in Tirana on Friday, 12 July at 11:00 a.m. local time, at the United Nations Office located at “Skenderbej” Street, Gurten Building, 2nd floor, Tirana. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. To register for the press conference please email: brian.griffey@un.org and nora.kushti@undp.org.
The final findings and recommendations from the visit will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council.
Mr. Graeme Reid (South Africa) assumed the role of UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity on 1 November 2023. As a scholar, Reid has conducted research, taught and published extensively on gender, sexuality, LGBT issues, and HIV/AIDS. Reid is currently a research scholar and lecturer at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. Before his appointment as Independent Expert, Reid served as director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch, an organization he joined in 2011. He has taught as a lecturer in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and Anthropology at Yale University and at the School of International Public Affairs at Columbia University. He is also the founding director of the Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa, and previously worked as a researcher at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research. Reid attended the University of Witwatersrand where he received his bachelor's degree in literature and master's degree in anthropology. He holds a PhD from the University of Amsterdam.
The Independent Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
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For inquiries and media requests, please contact:
In Albania (during the visit) and Geneva (after the visit): Brian Griffey (brian.griffey@un.org) and Nora Kushti (nora.kushti@undp.org).
UN Human Rights country page: Albania
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts, please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) or John Newland (john.newland@un.org)