The Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) will meet in Buenos
Aires today (Thursday 8
September) to discuss joint action on urgent
issues that LGBT people face globally.
The gathering comes at a pivotal moment as ERC member states
have identified a growing global threat to the freedoms and human
rights of LGBT persons. It will also provide the opportunity
for governments and NGOs to share best practise.
The current ERC co-chairs, Argentina and the UK, will also
present a report tracking progress of the ERC's Strategy and Five-Year Implementation
Plan,published in July 2021.
Germany and Mexico will take up their roles as new ERC co-chairs
during the closing ceremony of the conference on Friday 9
September. The ERC will commit to strengthening engagement from
ERC members and empowering greater representation from the Global
South. Germany and Mexico will also be joined by civil society
co-chairs and supported by a new Administrative Unit, funded by
member states.
UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for LGBT Rights, () said:
“The UK stands for freedom – and that means freedom for all.
We’re proud of the Equal Rights Coalition’s work to defend these
freedoms but more needs to be done, in every part of the world,
to achieve our aims.
“We look forward to supporting Germany and Mexico in their
role as the next ERC co-chairs. Together we can send the clear
message that LGBT rights are human rights.”
Argentina’s Special Representative Sexual Orientation and
Gender Identity, Alba Rueda said:
“Argentina is a strong country in human rights and diversity.
This is the result of the social and political movement of
lesbians, gays, travesties, transgender people, non-binaries, and
all activisms that break away from the patriarchal and binary
system.
We value the ERC in this same way: as a space in which social
organisations can express themselves so that states can listen to
them and commit to turning their demands into public
policies”.
This year’s ERC Conference follows previous convenings in
Montevideo in 2016, Vancouver in 2018, and a virtual event in
2021. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the UK and Argentina have
held an extended tenure as co-chairs since 2019.
The conference will focus on four key areas, including developing
inclusive national laws and policies, advancing the Sustainable
Development Goals, supporting civil society responses to the
global anti-gender movement, and mapping the progress towards
decriminalisation around the world.
Civil society organisations play a vital role in the Equal Rights
Coalition. The current civil society co-chairs – Asociación
Familias Diversas Argentina, Kaleidoscope Trust, and Stonewall –
support more than 140 groups from across the world. The
UK, Argentina, Mexico, the USA, Canada, The Netherlands and
Belgium have funded some of the in-person participation at this
year’s conference for civil society organisations and human
rights defenders from the Global South.
In July 2021, the ERC agreed a Strategic
Plan and Five-Year Implementation
Plan to help guide and energise the group’s work and
ensure the organisation can live up to its huge potential. The
pre-conference report highlighted this prioritisation process as
a “major achievement” of Argentina and the UK’s tenure as
co-chairs.
Further Background
The ERC will meet in Buenos Aires from 8-9 September
