UN Human Rights Council extends LGBTQ rights expert’s mandate

The United States has withdrawn from a group of UN member states that have committed to supporting LGBTQ and intersex rights.

The United Nations LGBTI Core Group was formed in 2008.

Chile and the Netherlands are the current co-chairs. Members include Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Italy, Malta, Mexiperu, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Timor Reste, UK and Uruguay.

The EU, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the full international international are observers.

“The overarching goal of the UN LGBTI Core Group in New York is to work within the UN framework and ensure that we universally respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly those of lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI). Website.

The core group also has three specific objectives:

• Raise awareness about LGBTI issues

•Contribute to multilateral work and negotiations at the United Nations

• seek common grounds, be open and respectful with UN member states and other stakeholders outside of the core group, and engage in a spirit of constructive dialogue and cooperation.

Promotion of LGBTQ and intersex rights was the basis of the Biden-Harris administration’s foreign policy.

Former First Lady Gil Biden spoke at a core group event held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last September. Former President Joe Biden was the vice president when he spoke in 2016 at a core group event that coincided with that year’s UN General Assembly.

Since taking office on January 20th, President Donald Trump has signed numerous executive orders targeting the LGBTQ and the intersex community. These include the directive “defend women from gender ideological extremism and restore biological truth to the federal government.” This prohibits the State Department, among other things, from issuing passports with “X” gender markers.

The order was that Secretary of State Marco Rubio banned embassies and other US diplomatic agencies from raising the pride flag. (In March 2024, Joe Biden signed a government spending bill with a provision banning flags that pride themselves on US embassy flights.)

Last week’s Associated Press It has been reported The Trump Vance administration has terminated 90% of the US International Development Agency’s foreign aid contract. Activists spoke with Washington Blade in the past weeks have said that the White House decision to freeze almost all US foreign aid spending is “devastating” due to the global LGBTQ and intersex rights movement.

Sources told Blade, where the US withdraws from the Core Group on February 14, that a State Department spokesman confirmed his withdrawal on Saturday but did not specify a specific date.

“In line with the President’s recent executive order, we have withdrawn from the United Nations LGBTI Core Group,” the spokesman said.