Report of the Conference
Honorable Michael Kirby AC CMG
Michael Kirby is an international jurist, educator and former judge. He served as a Deputy President
of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (1975–83); Chairman of the Australian Law
Reform Commission (1975–84); Judge of the Federal Court of Australia (1983–84); President of the New
South Wales Court of Appeal (1984–96); President of the Court of Appeal of Solomon Islands (1995–96)
and Justice of the High Court of Australia (1996–2009). He has undertaken many international activities
for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the OECD and the Global Fund Against AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria. He has also worked in civil society, being elected President of the International
Commission of Jurists (1995–98). His recent international activities have included member of the Eminent
Persons Group on the Future of the Commonwealth of Nations (2010–11); Commissioner of the UNDP
Global Commission on HIV and the Law (2011–12); Chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on
DPRK (North Korea) (2013–14); and Member of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Access
to Essential Healthcare (2015–16). He is also heavily engaged in international arbitrations; domestic
mediations; and teaching law. He is Honorary Professor at 12 Australian and overseas universities.
Jean Chong
Programme Field Coordinator, Outright Action International
Jean Chong is currently a part of the steering committee of the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a regional
network of South East Asia LGBTIQ groups lobbying for the inclusion of LGBTIQ rights in the ASEAN
Human Rights Mechanisms. Jean is also the president of a LBT group in Singapore named Sayoni, as
well as a part of the Asia team for OutRight Action International. Jean holds a Master’s degree in Human
Rights and Democratisation.
Vaialia Iosua
Co-founder/Former Vice President, Samoa Faafafine Association Inc
Vaialia Iosua is a proud Fa’afafine from Samoa. She is one of founding member for Samoa Faafafine
Association and has been actively engaged and involved for the LGBTI/Fa’afafine activism in Samoa
and the region for the last 10 years. Vaialia studied Development Studies and Education and proceeded
to work for the Ministry of Women Community and Social Development for the last 10 years as a
Principal Community Development Officer. With passion and commitment in human rights work, she is
currently studying towards completion of her Master’s in Human Rights and Democratisation at Mahidol
University. Vaialia is a researcher who is currently studying hate crime and human rights violations against
transgender people in Samoa and Philippines.
Mauro Cabral Grinspan
Executive Director, Global Action for Trans Equality
Mauro is the Executive Director of Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) and the coordinator of Justicia
Intersex. In 2006 he participated in the development of the Yogyakarta Principles and he is currently
involved in its revision process. He advocates, writes, translates, researches and teaches on gender
identity, gender expression and bodily diversity issues, as well as on intersecting issues between
biotechnology and the law. In 2015 Mauro received the Bob Hepple Equality Award. He lives in Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
Sonia Onufer Corrêa
Co-chair of Sexuality Policy Watch
Since the late 1970´s Sonia has been involved in research and advocacy related to gender equality,
health and sexuality. Between 1992 and 2009 she had been the research coordinator for sexual and
reproductive health and rights at the Development Alternatives with Women for a new Era (DAWN)– a
southern hemisphere feminist network. In that capacity, she closely followed United Nations negotiations
relating to gender and sexuality related matters: the International Conference on Population and
Development (ICPD – Cairo 1994), the IV World Conference on Women (IV WCW –Beijing, 1995) and
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