orientation or gender identities. Such protections should recognise the special position
of children and the obligation to ensure that the ‘best interests of the child’ should be
the determining factor in relation to decisions regarding medical treatment.
53.
Advocate for governments and the medical profession to discourage the use of
diagnostic categorisations, such as "gender identity disorder" which stigmatise
transgender people as mentally ill and undermine the legitimacy of sex reassignment
procedures.
54.
Advocate the promotion of human rights programmes that reflect the full range of
human rights (including economic, social and cultural rights) and remedies for the
breach of those rights for all persons, including persons of diverse sexual orientation or
gender identity.
Asia Pacific Forum
We recommend that the Asia Pacific Forum:
55.
Help organise mutual exchanges between NHRIs to support NHRIs in their work on the
human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.
56.
Encourage mutual sharing across NHRIs of best practice including assistance as to
how to begin work in this area.
57.
Organise subregional meetings to share information about participatory processes and
shared cultural issues relating to the promotion and protection of the human rights of
persons of diverse sexual orientation or gender identity.
58.
Work on encouraging the development of toolkits on the various issues that can be
used throughout the region.
59.
Review the progress towards the implementation of these recommendations at regular
intervals.
60.
Engage with the UN and institutional mechanisms such as the International
Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions about the work NHRIs in
the region are doing with regard to the human rights of persons of diverse sexual
orientation or gender identity.
ACJ Report: Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
39