Mozambique: UN expert to assess LGBT human rights

​Portuguese version

GENEVA (30 November 2018) – The UN Independent Expert on the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, will conduct an official visit to Mozambique from 3 to 10 December 2018.

“The visit provides an important opportunity to assess the implementation of human rights standards to combat violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The identification of strengths and opportunities is particularly important in a country which, like Mozambique, has recently decriminalized same-sex relationships between consenting adults,” said Victor Madrigal-Borloz. “I look forward to engaging with Government authorities, religious leaders, civil society representatives and others.”

The UN expert will travel to Maputo and Nampula, as well as the respective provinces, to meet representatives of the executive, legislative and judicial branches, religious and traditional leaders, civil society organisations working on issues related to the human rights of LGBT people, and others.

Madrigal-Borloz will identify good practices, as well as weaknesses and challenges faced in eliminating the violence and discrimination. “I will provide concrete recommendations on how to move towards a society that embraces and values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity,” the expert said.

A media conference will be held in Maputo on Monday, 10 December at noon local time, at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Conference room in Maputo, 921 Av. Kenneth Kaunda, to share preliminary findings with the media. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The expert will present his findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2019.

ENDS

Mr. Victor Madrigal-Borloz (Costa Rica) assumed the role of UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for a three-year period starting on 1 January 2018. He serves as the Secretary-General of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), a global network of over 150 rehabilitation centres with the vision of full enjoyment of the right to rehabilitation for all victims of torture and ill treatment. A member of the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture from 2013 to 2016, Mr Madrigal-Borloz was Rapporteur on Reprisals and oversaw a draft policy on the torture and ill-treatment of LGBTI persons. Prior to this he led technical work on numerous cases, reports and testimonies as Head of Litigation and Head of the Registry at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and has also worked at the Danish Institute for Human Rights (Copenhagen, Denmark) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (San José, Costa Rica). 

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 organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

For inquiries and media requests, please contact:
In Mozambique (during the visit): Catherine de Preux De Baets (+41 79 444 4917;  cdepreuxdebaets@ohchr.org)
In Geneva (after the visit): Catherine de Preux De Baets (+41 22 917 93 27 - cdepreuxdebaets@ohchr.org) or Alice Ochsenbein (+ 41 22 917 32 98 / aochsenbein@ohchr.org)          

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact
Jeremy Laurence, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)
UN Human Rights country page: Mozambique

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948. The Universal Declaration – translated into a world record 500 languages – is rooted in the principle that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” It remains relevant to everyone, every day. In honour of the 70th anniversary of this extraordinarily influential document, and to prevent its vital principles from being eroded, we are urging people everywhere to Stand Up for Human Rights: www.standup4humanrights.org.