Statement by the UNDP program Being LGBTI in Asia
On Intersex Awareness Day 206, the UNDP program Being LGBTI in Asia released a statement on intersex inclusion and the work of the agency.
Intersex people often grow up in an environment of secrecy or shame and many only learn of their intersex variation at puberty or later. As a result many intersex people feel isolated and alone. Attempts to organize or network have been inhibited by this secrecy and associated stigma and shame. Activists have identified opportunities to network and meet each other as an extremely important and ongoing priority in building a strong community able to advocate for their own rights…
UNDP’s vision and mission is to help countries achieve the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion. The Being LGBTI in Asia programme works with governments and civil society to advance inclusion, health and well-being of marginalized groups. In recognition of the extreme marginalization and wide scale invisibility of intersex people and issues, the programme strives to ensure that intersex issues are recognized and proactively integrated in relevant activities if we are to achieve our overall mission.
The principle behind the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is sustainable and inclusive development for all that leaves no one behind. Intersex people are the most under serviced, under reached, under represented and under researched sub-group within the LGBTI acronym. In order to achieve truly inclusive development, explicit measures and action must be taken to mainstream and ensure the inclusivity of intersex as much as possible in programmatic and research activities.
In 2016, the UNDP program Being LGBTI in Asia helped to organise the first national meeting of intersex people in Nepal.
The UNDP also supported the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions’ manual, Promoting and Protecting Human Rights in relation to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics, published in June 2016.
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