Thank you,

It is my pleasure to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of Friends of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, comprised of 34 States and co-chaired by Argentina, Chile and my own country, Uruguay.

We would like to extend our appreciation to the Special Rapporteur, Tlaleng Mofokeng, for her thematic report, in which she provided a comprehensive analysis on the impact of violence in all its forms and manifestations on the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

We take this opportunity to commend, in particular, the inclusive and intersectional approach that the SR has decided to mainstream throughout this report.

In fact, we recognize the importance of addressing gender-based violence from a comprehensive approach that includes all forms of violence targeting individuals based on their gender, gender identity and sexual orientation, therefore affecting the lives of everyone, especially women, girls, boys and LGBTIQ+ persons. In that regard, we agree with the Special Rapporteur that “gender-based violence should be addressed through a non-binary approach that is cognizant of it being a phenomenon that includes matters of sexuality, and violations against persons on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics”.

In addition, we echo the concern of the SR over the fact that health-care workers worldwide in many cases are not trained to meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ individuals, which can constitute a significant obstacle for their enjoyment of the right to the highest attainable standard of pysical and mental health, including their sexual and reproductive health. In this regard, we emphasize the need to address the effects of the pandemic on

access to SRH. We also share the concerns of the Rapporteur on the impact of violence and discrimination on the mental health of LGBTIQ+ Youth and the need of doing more in this regard.

Taking into consideration existing challenges, we encourage States to consider requesting technical guidance to the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the SOGI independent expert.

Finally, we encourage you to continue mainstreaming this substantive gender equality approach to the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in the implementation of your mandate. You can count with our GoF continued support for this inclusive approach, that should serve as an example to other special procedures.

Thank you.

The GoF of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is composed of: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.