Celebrating 10 years of the Yogyakarta Principles: What have we learnt and where to now? • Intervene as amicus – by the new IE-SOGI mandate-holder in specific cases • Maximise the positive normative context offered by the Yogyakarta Principles in dealing with governments. Group 2: Engaging NHRIs Rapporteur Ashwin Raj, Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission • NHRIs play a mediatory and interlocutory role with other agencies, therefore this role should be effectively exploited by LGBTI advocates • NHRIs are well placed to educate the community and produce effective tools of engagement • Recognise the key LGBTI issues that are core to the community context • Democratise our understanding of the SOGIESC issues and the Yogyakarta Principles • Communities do not necessarily understand the difference between sex and gender – therefore, more education and awareness activities could be conducted through collaboration between NHRIs and community groups • Fully exploit the community mandate of NHRIs • Understand the powers of NHRIs and use those powers to address discrimination, violence and other forms of human rights violations against LGBTI people • Recognise the intersectional issues – e.g. Freedom of expression and hate speech; freedom of religion and violence against LGBTI • Linkages between Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural rights in the context of LGBTI rights • Identify ways in which the SOGIESC agenda can be mainstreamed and included in the works of NHRIs • Recognise the right to narrate – being able to narrate the experiences and stories of LGBTI community • NHRIs can produce disaggregated data to build strong cases which can be litigated or addressed through state policy • Possibility of forming sub-regional groups of cooperation, and address common interests and concerns • Use the economics and the business case behind human rights violations of LGBTI people • Use various ways in which constructive engagement with all relevant institutions can be used • Recognise the jurisdictional limitations of NHRIs in certain issues, and optimise the engagement in all salient areas • Give full consideration to social apparatus and legal, political and cultural realities while addressing LGBTI concerns and promoting the Yogyakarta Principles • Use multiple narratives of culture – instead of ‘monolithising’ the cultural reality. 20