LGBT groups barred from UN AIDS summit; human rights activists stage protest

Chiqui Guyjoco Saturday, May 21, 2016

Leaders of Islamic countries pose during the official photo taking session of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Mecca August 14, 2012. | REUTERS/SUSAN BAAGHIL

A group of 51 countries including Russia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has blocked 22 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and drug user groups from attending the United Nations (UN) summit for global AIDS that will be held next month.

According to The Guardian, the non-government organizations (NGOs) that can't attend the AIDS summit include Actwid, Colour Pink, and Esvero. The UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, which will be held from June 8 to 10, will be led by the OIC with member countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Sudan, and Uganda.

Egypt wrote to the General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft to exclude 11 LGBT groups from the summit without stating any reason for its request, Reuters reported. The LGBT groups' exclusion has triggered a torrent of protests from human rights activists as well as Western countries such as the U.S., European Union (EU), and Canada.

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power reportedly wrote a letter to Lykketoft in defense of the LGBT groups.

"Given that transgender people are 49 times more likely to be living with HIV than the general population, their exclusion from the high-level meeting will only impede global progress in combating the HIV/Aids pandemic," Power stated in her letter.

She also added in her letter that the UN's movement to block the NGO's participation at every negotiation in a new general assembly gathering has been observed to become more frequent and only discredits the organization.

UN officials confirmed that EU and Canada also wrote to Lykketoft to protest.

"Non-governmental organizations working on the ground to ensure that no one is left behind must have the opportunity to contribute to this important forum," read a statement released by UNAIDS.

The group implored the UN to apply its principles of inclusion, participation and dignity, and stressed that the UN should be open to all.

In its defense, Lykketoft replied in a text message to the New York Times, saying: "We have done our utmost to include as many of the NGOs as possible. Unfortunately it is not within my mandate to overrule objections by the member states or to make the objecting countries known to the public."