2. Wide shot, podium
3. Wide shot, journalists in the conference room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS:
“I am outraged that we still have to fight prejudice, stigma, discrimination, exclusion, criminalization of gays, lesbians, and transgender people. Not only in their homes but in the streets, police stations, and courtrooms. This is impossible for me to understand and accept.”
5. Cutaway, conference room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS:
"Today I am pleased to say that UNAIDS will continue to support worldwide advocacy to make sure that we will not continue to exclude people because their sexual orientation or because for what they are or who they love."
7. Med shot, journalists in the conference room

FILE – RECENT, UNITED NATIONS GENEVA HEADQUARTERS

8. External shot, United Nations Geneva Headquarters

17 MAY 2013, UNITED NATIONS GENEVA HEADQUARTERS

9. Wide shot, Salle III, Palais des Nations, Geneva
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the OHCHR:
"The fact that States are divided on these issues is not, according to the High Commissioner, a reason to hold back from speaking out for fear of controversy. Rather, the abuse still suffered by LGBT people makes it all the more important to speak out."
11. Cutaway, conference room
12. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the OHCHR:
"LGBT issues are no longer taboo at the United Nations, which we warmly welcome, but the struggle for full equality for LGBT people continues."
13. Cutaway, conference room
14. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the OHCHR:
"Homophobia is something that you will find in every country in the world. And it's still a pretty chronic problem. There have been considerable advances in many countries in terms of reducing discrimination. but discrimination is still very much there. Whether it's overt in the form of laws or, you know, people not able to get jobs or whatever, or more subtle in terms of communication between individual people. So to be honest, I'm not that surprised by the figures that have come out in the EU study but they are shocking and clearly there is a very long way to go in removing all forms of discrimination targeted against LGBT people."
15. Wide shot, Salle III,, Palais des Nations, Geneva

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Storyline

The head of the UN programme on HIV/AIDS, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights today (17 May) called for an end to the discrimination and criminalization faced by the gay, lesbian and transgender communities around the world, on a day when the world celebrates the international day against homophobia and transphobia (IDAHO).

Speaking in New York, Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS called himself “outraged that we still have to fight prejudice, stigma, discrimination, exclusion, criminalization of gays, lesbians, and transgender people. Not only in their homes but in the streets, police stations, and courtrooms. It is impossible for me to understand and accept.

Worldwide, he pointed out, 78 countries still criminalize sexual acts between people of the same sex, while at least 7 countries punish these acts with the death penalty.

He pledged that “UNAIDS will continue to support worldwide advocacy to make sure that we will not continue to exclude people because their sexual orientation or because for what they are or who they love.”

In Geneva, Rupert Colville, the Spokesperson for the UN High Commssioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said that “the fact that States are divided on these issues is not, according to the High Commissioner, a reason to hold back from speaking out for fear of controversy. Rather, the abuse still suffered by LGBT people makes it all the more important to speak out."

He said that “the struggle for full equality for LGBT people continues.”

Pillay is marking IDAHO with a speech at The Hague that will highlight the progress made over the past 20 years in combating violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and intersex people. Navi Pillay will also point out how much remains to be done to achieve a world where everyone is free, equal and respected.

Progress was seen in 2011, when 85 States signed a statement expressing their concern at human rights violations perpetrated against LGBT people, and the UN Human Rights Council adopted the first ever resolution to specifically address the issue.

At the same time, according to a survey released today by the the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, a quarter of gay people surveyed say they have been subjected to attacks or violent threats in the past five years.

Poorer and younger respondents were more likely to face discrimination due to their sexuality, the survey also found, which polled 93,000 people in the EU and Croatia for what it calls the most comprehensive survey of its kind.

Referring to the results Colville said: "homophobia is something that you will find in every country in the world. I'm not that surprised by the figures that have come out in the EU study but they are shocking and clearly there is a very long way to go in removing all forms of discrimination targeted against LGBT people."

Unifeed

NY–GENEVA / INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA WRAP

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NY–GENEVA / INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA WRAP

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