On 4 April 2024, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a groundbreaking resolution calling on Member States to improve efforts to combat discrimination and harmful practices against intersex people. The resolution titled ‘Combating discrimination, violence and harmful practices against intersex persons’ was introduced by the governments of Australia, Chile, Finland, and South Africa and is the first-ever resolution affirming the rights of intersex people. The resolution also calls on Member States to address stereotypes, misconceptions, stigma and taboos associated with intersex persons and to work towards the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with innate variations in sex characteristics. signalling growing international resolve to address rights violations experienced by people born with variations in their sex characteristics. This resolution is the first of its kind for the United Nations.
“Intersex Asia welcomes and appreciates the first landmark UN resolution affirming and protecting intersex people from discrimination, violence, and harmful practices. Finally, our voices calling for intersex human rights have been heard. The zero opposition to the resolution marks a significant victory for the human rights of intersex people. It demonstrates a global consensus on recognizing the existence of intersex individuals. In addition, Intersex Asia is particularly thankful for the important favour votes from Asian countries like India, Japan, and Vietnam, which raise our confidence to move intersex human rights in Asia forward in the future,” said Hiker Chiu, Executive Director of Intersex Asia.
This resolution is a result of decades-long advocacy by intersex rights groups to acknowledge intersex traits/variations as sex characteristics and not as a disorder and to ensure the bodily integrity and well-being of intersex people. Several UN human rights treaty bodies have condemned “corrective surgeries” and recommended the prohibition of forced or coerced medical interventions with respect to intersex characteristics, such as non-emergency medical interventions performed without full, free, and informed consent. The resolution reinforces the 2016 statement of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, outlining actions by States and sporting bodies to create an inclusive culture for intersex persons to fully and safely participate in sport. Further, in 2023, the UN OHCHR issued a technical note, recommending the prohibition of “forced or coerced medical interventions with respect to intersex characteristics, such as non-emergency medical interventions performed without full, free and informed consent,” drawing on the numerous recommendations from treaty bodies.
“The unanimous support for the resolution represents a monumental triumph for the advancement of human rights on a global scale, for intersex individuals. It signifies a robust consensus in recognizing and affirming the rights of intersex individuals, with a particular emphasis on intersex human rights protection. The resolution underscores the critical need to combat discrimination, violence, and harmful practices targeted at individuals with innate variations in sex characteristics, emphasizing the necessity to protect their inherent human rights. Campaign for Change extends its deepest gratitude to nations around the world, including those in Asia such as India, Japan, and Vietnam, whose unwavering support emboldens our resolve to propel intersex human rights initiatives forward in the region and beyond,” said Esan Regmi, Co-founder and Executive Director of Campaign for Change and Executive Board Member, ILGA Asia.
ILGA Asia celebrates this historic resolution addressing the human rights violations and preventing harmful practices against intersex people everywhere. We embrace this moment to strengthen our resolve to advocate for a world that is safe and equal, where the rights of individuals with diverse SOGIESC are protected and promoted unconditionally.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Nadine Hassan, Senior Communications Officer (nadine@ilgaasia.org)
Ajita Banerjie, Senior Research and Policy Officer (ajita@ilgaasia.org)