Buenos Aires / New York: Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and its National Group in the Congress of the Argentinean Nation, chaired by Diputada Carla Pitiot, held the “Seminar for Parliamentarians and National Human Rights Institutions on Equality and Non-Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) in Latin America and the Caribbean” at the Congressional Palace in Buenos Aires on May 17-18, 2018.

The Seminar, which is part of PGA’s Global Parliamentary Campaign against Discrimination based on SOGI, was also organized in collaboration with Argentina’s National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI). Parliamentarians from Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay participated in the activity, together with a wide representation of SOGI experts from different public institutions and civil society groups in Argentina.

The main objectives of the Seminar were to:

• Connect Latin American and Caribbean parliamentarians and representatives of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from the region with each other and with lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LGBTI) activists and SOGI experts in order to: i) share best practices and legislative measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination based on SOGI and ii) foster and strengthen frequent collaboration among these stakeholders on this topic.

• Empower Latin American and Caribbean parliamentarians to become human rights champions with accurate and current information about the needs and challenges of LGBTI persons in their countries, backed by an international network of support.

• Inspire Latin American and Caribbean parliamentarians to take concrete actions to uphold, promote, and realize the rights of LGBTI persons in their countries.

Opening remarks were offered by PGA members Diputado Luis Petri, Second Vice President of the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentinean Nation, Diputada Carla Pitiot, President of PGA’s National Group in Argentina, and Diputada Cornelia Schmidt-Liermann, President of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations and Worship of the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentinean Nation and Vice President of PGA’s National Group in Argentina.

Also participating in the inauguration were representatives of the Argentinean Homosexual Community (CHA) and the Argentinean Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Federation (FALGBT), two of the main LGBTI civil society organizations in the country, which recalled that the first day of the Seminar (May 17) coincided with the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

The Seminar was also attended by diplomatic representatives from Chile, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay, as well as Dr. Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, Director of the Department of Social Inclusion of the Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity of the Organization of American States.

Among the topics discussed in the Seminar were:

• Advances and challenges regarding equality and non-discrimination based on SOGI in the Inter-American Human Rights System.

• The role of NHRIs in promoting equality and non-discrimination based on SOGI.

• Advances and challenges in terms of equality and non-discrimination based on SOGI in Argentina and lessons learned for other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

• The situation of LGBTI people in Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.

• The projects of law about gender identity in Chile and Uruguay.

Participating parliamentarians adopted the Declaration of Buenos Aires at the end of the Seminar, committing themselves to, among other things, introducing and promoting laws and public policies that promote and defend equal human rights for all people, in particular, those aimed at combating discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics, as well as promoting the effective application of those laws and policies that already exist.

As for next steps, PGA is available to participating parliamentarians to provide support and technical assistance in relation to the commitments contained in the Declaration of Buenos Aires. PGA will monitor the implementation of these commitments and expects that the initiatives that arise from them, when shared with members of parliaments from around the world, serve as models and inspiration in other countries.

This activity was possible thanks to the generous support of the Global Equality Fund administered by the United States Department of State.