15 March 2019: An alliance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people issued a report on factors that contribute to their exclusion, and interlinkages with the SDGs. The report focuses on Azerbaijan, and reviews progress on four of the SDGs to be reviewed at the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
The report, titled, ‘SDGs and LGBTI Inclusion in context of Azerbaijan,’ and produced by the Nafas LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance, states that many of the challenges faced by LGBTI people in Azerbaijan are similar in other countries, and the report’s findings are applicable to advocacy on the SDGs and for LGBTI people more broadly.
On SDG 4 (quality education), the report states that LGBTI students are bullied at school “because of sexual orientation, gender identity and self-expression,” and calls for anti-bullying policies. The authors also argue that human rights education should be included in school curricula. The authors report that the Government of Azerbaijan is developing a comprehensive sexual education curriculum, and call for the curriculum to be LGBTI-inclusive.
On SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), the report notes that LGBTI people face exclusion when seeking to enter the workplace and, once on the job, they face harassment and few opportunities for advancement. Economic development policies will be more effective, therefore, if they are inclusive for LGBTI people. The authors also propose: improving the collection of disaggregated data by sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and other factors; taking legislative and administrative measures towards gender recognition to provide LGBTI individuals with access to employment; and building effective strategies and policies to ensure that LGBTI people are not discriminated against in hiring, retaining or promoting employees, in both public and private sectors.
On SDG 10 (reduced inequalities), the report describes how LGBTI people are left behind in health care and education, among other areas of life. The report identifies a lack of robust disaggregated data across a number of relevant indicators, making it difficult to assess the extent to which progress is made or what gaps and issues hinder progress.
On SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), the report recommends a number of priority actions to ensure LGBTI people are not left behind. To promote rule of law and enforce non-discriminatory laws, the report suggests reviewing domestic legislation on non-discrimination to harmonize it with SDG implementation, ensuring that the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) includes LGBTI people within its mandate, adopting laws on hate speech and crime to protect all individuals from violence, and strengthening legislation to incorporate mechanisms for monitoring and reporting hate-motivated acts.
To reduce violence and discrimination, the report proposes setting policies and ensuring an adequate budget to provide education and training programs on sensitivity, discrimination and hate crimes for police and other law enforcement agencies, and prioritizing policies that grant access to justice, housing, employment, healthcare, education and legal recognition.
The July 2019 HLPF will include in-depth reviews on SDGs 4, 8, 10, 13 (climate action), 16 and 17 (partnerships for the Goals). [Alliance Website] [SDG Knowledge Hub sources]