Side Events that brought new open discussions to the UN by SI UN Representative Bette Levy

“If you have been following the Agenda 2030 as long as I have (since Rio + 20 in 2012), it’s easy to be frustrated or disappointed about the lack of progress and to be concerned if the SDGs will be achieved at all let alone by 2030. Looking back to the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), I recall what was achieved and how much was not achieved … But then I stop and point out to myself the simple fact that we’ve got governments, everyday people, private sector talking about these important things together and I realize how incredible that is. If there were no United Nations (UN) and meetings like the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) these discussions would never take place.

Since becoming a UN Representative and a resident of NYC, I’m always surprised how uninvolved and uninformed many American people are about all the work that is being done at the UN. Our local and national news doesn’t follow the development work, the human rights work, or for the most part anything that is not a resolution from the Security Council or a peacekeeping mission. I have learned to compartmentalise my life with a bubble around my UN work, UN friends and Colleagues from the rest of my daily life. It makes me realize even more how important public awareness is in order to educate the masses, and organizations such as Soroptimist International could and should play a big role.

This year I was particularly excited to see that several new topics were openly discussed in both official sessions and inside events in spite of the more regressive tone set during the months leading up to the HLPF, during the negotiations of the ministerial declaration.

Part 1 – TRANSGENDER

One such side event was ‘Making Our Cities Inclusive and Safe for All: LGBTI Inclusion in Goal 11 and Agenda 2030’, organized by the co-chairs of the Equal Rights Coalition, Canada and Chile (ERC) – an intergovernmental coalition that advances the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (LGBTI) persons and promotes inclusive development in both member and non-member countries – together with the founding ERC co-chair Uruguay, and members of the ERC thematic group on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs – the Swedish Federation for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning) Rights RFSL, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

In their concept note the organizers noted: “The guiding principle of the Agenda 2030 of “leaving no one behind” reflects a commitment, and a recognition that the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be impossible if the most marginalized are not included. In recent decades, the world has experienced unprecedented urban growth. Rapid urbanization has brought enormous challenges, including poverty, inequality, and exclusion. Recent research demonstrates the need for attention to the exclusion; inequality and human rights violations faced by LGBTI people in all countries and regions. These obstacles are visible within the context of adequate, safe, and affordable housing, access to services, poverty reduction, and general safety”.

I know the same can be said for any marginalized group; however, the LGBTI populations especially transgender have more challenges. Currently, 50 % of the world’s population lives in urban settlements, and by 2050 that number increases to 65%. The increase will bring with it more slums; more air/water pollution; more exclusion and inequalities. Today, in upper-middle and high-income countries approximately 40% of the homeless youth identify as LGBTI, there is very limited data collected nor is it done systematically so it becomes challenging to track trends and develop analysis that can lead to legal, policy and program changes. Lawmakers need to trust the transgender expertise. For example, in the US 86% of gender-based violence is towards transgender people. This side event opened my eyes to the extraordinary challenges that the transgender community faces, issues that I had never even thought about. One example is the lack of qualified medical personnel. Again, that’s a problem for all marginalized populations but for transgender, many medical personnel doesn’t even understand what it means to be transgender or that a transgender man can get pregnant from being raped; many don’t understand how to physically treat or examine transgender patients.

The speakers highlighted the need to move from crisis mode to ongoing conversation, the importance of visiting the areas where transgender people are living. There are consequences and dangers for transgender people moving to urban settlements. Often transgender people are denied the opportunity to be gainfully employed (average earning of trans vs. non-trans); to use a public bathroom to which they identify so they are put in harm’s way, and they often become entangled with law enforcement.

The take away from this session was the need to systematically collect and analyse disaggregated data in strategic areas to inform rights-based, inclusive policies and practices, the need to listen to the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people and their communities, including LGBTI youth.

It should be mentioned that immediately, following the HLPF was a 4 day meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA), and what is notable this year is for the first time member states openly brought up the issues of the LGBTI community and aging (official sessions and side events).

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