Statement by the UN LGBTI Core Group at the 14th Session of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing

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Chairperson,

I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Member States of the UN LGBTI Core Group, an informal cross regional group established in 2008.*

All older persons have the right to enjoy their human rights free from all forms of discrimination and violence. However, older LGBTI persons face specific barriers to accessing their rights, including in the focus areas of this 14th Session of the Open-ended Working Group on Aging: housing, access to services, healthcare, social inclusion, and participation in public life.

In their joint statement in October 2023, the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, highlighted unique human rights challenges facing LGBTI persons as they age. These challenges are rooted in both transphobia and homophobia and are compounded by ageism.  

The discrimination older LGBTI persons face leads to a high risk of economic insecurity and impoverishment. Older persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities may struggle to afford basic necessities, including housing, food, and healthcare. This is a result of numerous factors, including but not limited to an inability to participate in the formal economy and compounding factors of life-long discrimination and harassment in the workplace, resulting in poverty, homelessness and vulnerability to exploitation. Economic insecurity is further exacerbated when older LGBTI persons face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including based on race, ethnicity, or disability.

Care institutions, families, and healthcare providers that many older adults rely on to meet their needs may be incompetent and even dangerous environments for older LGBTI persons. Violence and abuse against LGBTI persons based on their sexual orientation and gender identity are reported in both family and professional care settings, in some cases either forcing older LGBTI persons to forgo medically necessary treatment or hiding their identities to access the life-saving care and services required in older age. Older LGBTI persons also have specific health needs - such as increased risks of mental health challenges and transgender-affirming care - that may go unmet by discriminatory providers.

As we commence the 14th Session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing, the UN LGBTI Core Group commits, and urges fellow member states to commit, to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of all older persons, including LGBTI persons. Member states need to recognize the challenges older LGBTI persons face and develop appropriate and inclusive policy responses in consultation with older LGBTI persons and civil society organizations working on the rights of these persons. And finally, member states need to ensure healthcare settings and care institutions are accessible to older LGBTI persons, and ensure providers are sensitized to the needs of LGBTI persons, adhering to non-discrimination standards.

The UN LGBTI Core Group is fully committed to ensuring the visibility of LGBTI issues and ending the stigmatization of all LGBTI persons, including older LGBTI persons, by encouraging effective and decisive measures that aim to ensure the full enjoyment of their human rights.

Thank you.

*The group is co-chaired by Argentina and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and includes Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Timor Leste, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Uruguay, the European Union, as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the non-governmental organizations Human Rights Watch and Outright International.