Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions 1. Introduction Every person has a sexual orientation (SO), gender identity (GI) and sex characteristics (SC). Lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), transgender (T) and intersex (I) people experience discrimination, and are at risk of further human violations, because of one or more of these attributes. In 2016, the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) and the United Nations Development Programme Bangkok Regional Hub (UNDP) developed a comprehensive manual for APF member national human rights institutions (NHRIs) on Promoting and Protecting Human Rights in relation to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics.1 This shorter mainstreaming guide is a practical resource for NHRIs on how to integrate a focus on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics (SOGISC) into their everyday work. It provides links to where further details can be found, including in the APF/UNDP SOGISC manual. The APF has consulted widely with NHRIs, and with the sixty NGO and NHRI participants on its SOGISC training courses, about the development of these guidelines. ABBREVIATIONS 4 APF Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions GI gender identity I intersex LGB lesbian, gay, bisexual LGBTI lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex NHRIs national human rights institutions SC sex characteristics SO sexual orientation SOGISC sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics T transgender UNDP United Nations Development Programme Bangkok Regional Hub