Video message from Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Global Citizens Festival, New York 28 September 2019

Human rights build respectful societies for us all – they are vital to ensuring more inclusive and sustainable development, and peace. 

Many nations have made important progress in upholding the LGBTI rights – from decriminalization of same-sex relationships to the introduction of civil unions, marriage equality, new gender recognition laws, and anti-discrimination measures.  

But these strong global trends have still left many people behind. 69 countries still criminalize same sex relationships. Many lack effective laws to protect people from violence and discrimination. 

We need to come together, to put an end to physical assaults; arbitrary arrests; bullying; inadequate legal gender recognition; and unnecessary surgeries on intersex children, everywhere. 

I urge you to continue working in your local communities and across the globe to ensure that all people can live free and equal.