PGA’s vision is to contribute to the creation of a Rules-Based International Order for a more equitable, safe, sustainable and democratic world.
PGA’s vision is to contribute to the creation of a Rules-Based International Order for a more equitable, safe, sustainable and democratic world.
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To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, I invite my African sisters and brothers to know how to relativize our certainties, whenever human rights and human dignity are at stake, as in the treatment of the LGBTQ+ issue.
If signed into law by the President of Ghana, the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill of 2021, will potentially have a devastating impact on human rights, democracy and economic development.
The bill is in contravention to the Ghanaian Constitution, which protects the rights of all persons to equality and non-discrimination, to freedom of expression, freedom of association and privacy.
The parliamentary convening provided a safe space for legislators to have an open and respectful peer-to-peer dialogue on the situation of LGBTQI+ persons in their countries.
PGA seeks to provide a safe space for dialogue between Sub-Saharan African legislators and their peers from Europe and North America, and with Civil Society representatives, on the inclusion of LGBTQI+ persons.
Democracy requires equality. Political leaders have a great responsibility in ensuring that all communities are represented, including LGBTQI+ persons, and adopt policies and legislation increasing their representation in parliament.
This day provides an opportunity to shed light, and denounce the violence and discrimination that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people (LGBTI+) suffer daily in their private and public lives.
The Parliament of the Cook Islands has taken an historic step as a leader in the Pacific region in modernizing its criminal code by passing a law decriminalizing homosexuality.
We, the undersigned Members of Parliament, are alarmed by the adoption of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 by the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda and strongly condemn the passing of this retrograde legislation denying sexual and gender diverse persons their very existence.
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) strongly condemns the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023, adopted by the Parliament of Uganda on 21 March 2023.
Opinion Piece by PGA Board Member Dip Margarita Stolbizer (Argentina), Convenor of the Gender, Equality and Inclusion (GEI) Program.
PGA organized in the margins of Sydney World Pride, a Talanoa Dialogue on Human Rights and Inclusion for Pacific Parliamentarians and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI+) activists.
The Forum sought to strengthen the network of parliamentarians committed to advancing human rights and inclusion of LGBTI+ people worldwide.
The Court affirmed and deemed unconstitutional that certain laws criminalize consensual, private acts between persons of the age of consent, regardless of gender.
International Day for Countering Hate Speech, celebrated on the 18th June, is an initiative which aims to educate people on hate speech and discrimination and recognise how it affects society. PGA members speak out on this disturbing trend.
On May 9, 2022, Ms. Xiomara Castro, President of Honduras, publicly acknowledged the responsibility of the State of Honduras for the murder of Vicky Hernandez, a transgender activist, on the night of June 28, 2009.
The challenges facing LGBTI people around the world – and their allies working to promote respect for their human rights and inclusion – remain formidable.
Chile joins Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Uruguay in providing access to marriage for same-sex couples.
The Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni returned the Bill to the Parliament for reconsideration.
PGA joined the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, the LGBTQ Victory Institute and the Global Equality Caucus as an Executive Partner of the Interparliamentary Plenary Assembly as part of WorldPride Copenhagen 2021
This is the first time that the highest regional human rights court, based in Costa Rica, has held a State accountable for the death - and failure to prosecute those responsible for the death - of a trans individual
Honduran legislators, members of PGA, held a virtual meeting with representatives of the Honduran civil society organization Somos CDC to discuss the Equality and Equity Bill.
PGA condemns the 2019 Sexual Offenses Bill, adopted by the Parliament of Uganda on 03 May 2021, which violates international human rights law by criminalizing consensual same-gender sexual acts between adults.
Parliamentary Panel on Legislative Reform and Protective Measures on SOGI during UNDP’s “Being LGBTI in the Caribbean” Regional Dialogue
PGA’s National Group in Suriname met in the National Assembly in Paramaribo.
On March 24, 2021, PGA co-organized a side event to the UN’s 65th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) titled Women Leaders as Advocates for Equality and Inclusion of LGBTI+ Persons.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has found the Jamaican government responsible for violating multiple rights of a gay man and a lesbian woman and urges an immediate repeal of the country’s homophobic laws.
Italy’s Chamber of Deputies approved an anti-discrimination bill that makes violence against women and LGBTI people a hate crime, increasing prison terms for perpetrators of such attacks.
PGA and its National Group in the Dominican Republic celebrate the introduction of an important project of General Law on Equality and Non-Discrimination in the Human Rights Committee of the Dominican Republic’s Chamber of Deputies.
Hosted by the Parliament of Saint Lucia on August 26, 2020
The Employment Act 2020 protects various categories of individuals from workplace discrimination, including those of diverse sexual orientation.
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) congratulates the Parliament of Gabon for repealing paragraph 5 of Article 402 of its Criminal Code, which criminalized same-sex sexual relations.
By Robeyonce Lima. The narrative of a pandemic demands a fast response and emergency mechanisms that end up upsetting human dignity. This means that systemic faults are explicitly manifested and expose serious, long-standing social challenges.
Joint Statement of Parliamentarians for Global Action and ILGALAC on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)
PGA calls on parliamentarians to take actions to protect the rights of girls, women and LGBTI persons as part of their national COVID-19 response.
PGA’s SOGI Campaign would also like to express our hopes and dreams for equality in 2020 – a year that commemorates the 5th anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals and its vision of leaving no one behind.
Pacific Youth and Parliamentarians Regional Dialogue in Apia, Samoa on October 14-16, 2019.
On August 12th, 2019, PGA Board member Hon. Levy Nazaré, MP and Vice-President of the National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe, took the floor during a plenary session to stand for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people.
The UN Permanent Mission of Luxembourg hosted a meeting between UN Member States from the UN LGBTI Core Group and members of PGA’s Board
These steps are in the rights direction. Let’s hope the application of the legal framework brings justice and protection to all LGBTI persons in Brazil.
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador gave way to equal civil marriage in Ecuador on Wednesday...
By Senator Valerie Woods, member of the Senate of Belize and member of the Board of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA)
Por Carla Pitiot, Diputada en el Congreso de la Nación Argentina, Presidenta del Grupo Nacional de PGA en Argentina y miembro de la Junta Directiva de PGA
By Diputado Fidel Santana, Chair of the Human Rights Committee in the Chamber of Deputies of Dominican Republic and member of Parliamentarians for Global Action
On March 18-22 PGA participated in the World Conference of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) in Wellington, New Zealand.
On January 23, 2019, Angola’s Parliament adopted a new penal code, removing the “vices against nature” provision inherited from the time of Portugal’s colonization, which was considered a ban on private same-sex sexual relations between consenting adults.
Held by PGA in Kyiv, Ukraine on November 19, 2018, in collaboration with Ukrainian LGBT Association LIGA
By Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States
After more than five years of parliamentary proceedings, the project of gender identity law was finally approved yesterday by Chile’s Chamber of Deputies, with 95 votes in favor and 46 against.
India’s Supreme Court ruled today that consensual and private same-sex relations between adults are not a crime. This momentous decision is a crucial victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people in the country.
By Hon. Syed Naveed Qamar, Member of Parliament from Pakistan and PGA member
On June 8, PGA Board members met for the first time with the United Nations LGBTI Core Group.
Parliamentarians from Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay participated in the activity, together with SOGI experts.
The Transgender Persons Bill comes at a critical and urgent moment for the transgender community.
April 16-18: PGA Board member Senator Valerie Woods participated in several activities at the sidelines of the Commonwealth Forums on Women, Peoples, Youth, Business and NHRIs.
In delivering his ruling, Justice Rampersad ruled: “the court declares that sections 13 and 16 of the [Sexual Offences Act] are unconstitutional.
Documents to help parliamentarians and other stakeholders understand some of the key issues affecting LGBTI people.
In addition to advancing gender identity laws that establish procedures for the change of name and sex/gender, parliamentarians can promote the right to gender identity in their legislative function.
In November 2006, an international group of experts met in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta to develop a set of principles that would apply the standards of international human rights law to the problems that affect LGBTI people.
The Opinion of the Court is in response to a request from Costa Rica regarding the interpretation of the American Convention on Human Rights.
On November 16-19, PGA participated in the annual Regional Conference of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association for Latin America and the Caribbean (ILGALAC) in Guatemala City.
PGA convened a Roundtable Discussion in Paramaribo, Suriname on Friday, October 27, 2017.
In his book “Moses and the Monotheistic Religion,” Sigmund Freud says that democracies are exceptions and not rules, because there is something in the human character that tends toward authoritarianism.
The bill penalizes discriminatory acts based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE).
On July 14, a group of representatives of the LGBTI community of Dominican Republic made an official visit to the National Congress, where they met with a number of parliamentarians.
PGA affirms its commitment to uphold the Human Rights of all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, and/or sex characteristics.
Today, June 28th, we celebrate LGBTI Pride Day, which commemorates the Stonewall riots that started on this date in 1969 and are widely considered to have sparked the gay liberation movement.
On International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT), PGA reaffirms its commitment to advance the rights of LGBTI people and their families.
PGA submitted an opinion to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in connection with a request by Costa Rica on the recognition of the gender identity of individuals and the patrimonial rights of same-sex couples.
Legislative Decree No. 1323 incorporates into the Peruvian Criminal Code sexual orientation and gender identity as expressly prohibited categories of discrimination and as aggravating circumstances in crimes.
Welcome to PGA’s LGBTI Inclusion Site, an online resource to better understand the unique role you have as a parliamentarian in ensuring equality and non-discrimination of all individuals regardless of who they are or whom they love.
PGA organized a Seminar to Advance Equality and Non-Discrimination on the basis of SOGI on March 9-10, 2017 in Costa Rica.
PGA expresses its solidarity with the victims’ families and friends, as well as with members of the trans community in El Salvador.
Here are some of the most common myths about LGBTI people and some suggestions on how to respond from a human rights standpoint.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Executive Legal Counsel’s office, the Human Rights Unit of the Attorney General, and the Defensoría del Pueblo, as well as LGBTI activists and Dominican legislators.
Parliamentary Delegation to Belize City and Belmopan, Belize from November 9 to November 12, 2016.
Senator Valerie Woods recognized the ruling on the unconstitutionality of Section Fifty-Three of the Criminal Code that criminalized same sex intercourse.
PGA commends the decision of the Supreme Court of Belize in ruling Section 53 of the Criminal Code, which criminalized consenting intercourse between adults of the same sex, unconstitutional.
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), in collaboration with the Human Rights Committee in the Parliament of Uruguay, organized a Seminar on Equality and Non-Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity for Parliamentarians of Latin A
Parliamentarians from Aruba, Bolivia, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay participated in PGA’s Seminar on Equality and Non-Discrimination
On June 30th, the Human Rights Council decided to appoint, for a period of three years, an Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Launched in 2011 by the U.S. Department of State, the Global Equality Fund (GEF) empowers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) persons to live freely and exercise their rights without fear of discrimination or abuse.
A delegation from PGA visited Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from June 21-24 to advance the goals of PGA’s Campaign against Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)
Bolivian Senator María Lourdes Landivar shares her thoughts on the proclamation of the Gender Identity Law in her country on May 21, 2016.
PGA strongly condemns the shocking attack carried out by a terrorist in a gay nightclub of Orlando, Florida, yesterday, which has caused enormous loss of life and appears to have been specifically directed against the LGBT community.
PGA commends the work of Hon. Wilby Lucas, MP and the National Assembly of the Republic of Seychelles, for passing an amendment to section 151 of the Penal Code decriminalizing unnatural offenses.
PGA convened a Strategy Session on the Role of Parliamentarians in Promoting Non-Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity in the sidelines of its Annual Parliamentary Forum 2015.
Nepal joins eight other countries that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in their constitution.
The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved a reform to the Penal Code increasing sanctions against murders and threats motivated by hate.
Mozambique passes new Penal Code that decriminalizes homosexuality.
PGA Members, Dip. Berta Sanseverino (Uruguay), Dip. Manuel Garrido (Argentina), and Dip. Tucapel Jiménez (Chile), along with PGA program staff, Mónica Adame and Romina Morello, conducted a field mission to El Salvador.
Within the framework of PGA’s Campaign Against Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) (SOGI Campaign), the Gender, Equality and Population Program conducted field missions to Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname
PGA’s GEP Program, in collaboration with PGA’s National Group in the Legislative Assembly and the Attorney General’s Office for the Defense of Human Rights of El Salvador, are convening a Seminar on Equality and Non-Discrimination for Latin American M
PGA convened a Seminar on Equality and Non-Discrimination for Latin American and Caribbean Parliamentarians that took place in San Salvador, El Salvador.
On September 26, 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution against discrimination and violence perpetrated towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) people....
The Constitutional Court of Uganda has declared the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into Act as null and void. The panel of five judges unanimously nullified the Anti-Homosexuality Act on grounds that it was passed without the required quorum.
The Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic hosted Members of Parliament from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa in an historic meeting on October 10-11, 2013 entitled, “Protecting Human Rights, Combating Discrimination and Addressing HIV
We, Members of Parliament from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Members of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), a network of over 1,000 Members of Parliament from over 130 countries worldwide, view with strong approval the G8 decision t