PES Manifesto

Human Rights in the world: the PES must fight for all - don't forget LGBT!

Published Friday, January 18, 2008 at 12:30
by joelld in EU in the world (853 views and 0 comments)

The work paper on "EU in the world" and the resolution "EU on the international scene", adopted by the PES Sofia Council in November 2007, make clear that the European socialists are committed to the promotion of a sustainable peace everywhere in the world. Among the means to achieve this goal, a very interesting and very right thing takes place: Europe must promote democracy and Fundamental Rights for all. The resolution is more precise, and mentions the rights of women, of migrants and asylum seekers. It emphasizes the importance of the recognition of the cultural diversity.

Rainbow Rose believes the PES does well by focusing on this point. We would like to add that the promotion of Human Fundamental Rights must be advocated in all its diversity, and adress the civil society as well as the States, as a principle of the EU foreign policies. That’s the reason we would like to state clearly that the European Commission, in its internal relation tasks, should speak explicitly about the rights of lesbian, gay and transgender persons as part of the universal Human Rights (this applies, of course, to all other discriminated groups).

Rainbow Rose would like to mention the Yogyakarta principles, a universal guide to the application of International Human Rights Law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. The Yogyakarta principles are the result of the work of a team of international Human Rights experts in 2006, and the NGOs now use it as a major reference. Such a document can be a guideline for governmental and EU actions. We would like to emphasize the fact that some EU member States already consider LGBT rights as a part of their Human Rights international policy, and develop actions for the promotion of these rights in the world. This is the case in Spain, in the Netherlands, in the UK… The EU can thus learn from these actions, and take its own initiatives, which have, concrete importance and effects in a number of neighbouring countries such as Turkey, Belarus, Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia!

Tags: equality, fundamental rights, gay, human rights, LGBT, peace, solidarity, women

File: Yogyakarta_principles.pdf