Foreword National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are official, independent, legal institutions established by the State and exercising the powers of the State to promote and protect human rights. In every country where they are established, they should be the principal mechanisms for human rights promotion and protection. They are concerned for the human rights of everyone within the jurisdiction of the State but they should have a particular concern for those who experience human rights violations or are most at risk of human rights violations. Because of this particular concern for those most at risk, NHRIs need to ensure that their work includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF), individual NHRIs and non-government organisations have consistently found and reported that human rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics occur in every country and that people are at risk of violations based on these attributes. NHRIs therefore have a responsibility to respond with effective action to promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Many NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region have already accepted this responsibility and have implemented significant activities and programs. This manual contains many excellent examples of their work. The APF has worked for almost ten years on human rights issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity and more recently on human rights issues relating to sex characteristics. It has taken seriously the recommendation in the Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (the Yogyakarta Principles) that “[n]ational human rights institutions promote respect for these Principles by State and non-State actors, and integrate into their work the promotion and protection of the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities”. It has developed this manual to assist NHRIs further to respond more effectively to this responsibility. The manual has been produced as part of a longstanding partnership between the APF and UNDP. In recent years that partnership has included collaboration on a number of individual activities concerning human rights in relation to sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. Now the partnership is moving to a new level of collaboration in a two-year integrated program of activities on these issues. The program will build on this manual with: • a regional conference to mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Yogyakarta Principles • training courses in the South Asia, South East Asia and Pacific sub-regions • support for NHRIs to mainstream into their strategic plans and work programs human rights issues concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people • promotion of national level projects and activities by NHRIs • assistance for closer consultation between NHRIs and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities. We look forward to our organisations continuing to support NHRIs in this work. We are confident that NHRIs will find the manual a very useful resource that not only increases knowledge and understanding but also enables them to learn from the experiences of each other. Kieren Fitzpatrick Director Nicholas Rosellini Director Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions United National Development Programme Bangkok Regional Hub v