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Experts release expanded Yogyakarta Principles

Graphic: "RESPECT" sign in rainbow colours

Nine additional Principles have been included to help clarify the international human rights law relating to LGBTI people.


An expanded set of principles on international human rights law relating to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) has been released by a group of 33 international human rights experts.

The Yogyakarta Principles plus 10 (YP+10) charts a way forward for both the United Nations, governments, and other stakeholders to re-affirm their commitment to universal human rights.

They were adopted by the experts following a meeting in Geneva in September 2017. This meeting followed a period of open consultations, led by the International Service for Human Rights and ARC International, the formation of an expert Drafting Committee, who synthesised the feedback, and the establishment of a secretariat to support the process.

The new principles reflect significant developments in the field of international human rights law and in the understanding of violations affecting persons of 'diverse sexual orientations and gender identities'.

They also address some of the key issues and developments relating to the specific forms of rights violations – including well-documented patterns of abuse, ranging from discrimination in the workplace to violence and torture – experienced by persons on grounds of SOGIESC.


Ten years on from the adoption of the Yogyakarta Principles, an international conference organised by the APF and UNDP considered a range of practical steps to better promote and protect the rights of LGBTI people. In April 2017, more than 100 LGBTI activists and allies came together to help chart a roadmap for equality.


The YP+10 supplement the original 29 Yogyakarta Principles and set out nine Additional Principles covering a range of rights dealing with, among others, information and communication technologies, poverty, and cultural diversity.

There are also 111 Additional State Obligations, a number of which have arisen over the past decade with regards to the original 29 Principles, including in areas such as torture, asylum, privacy, health and the protection of human rights defenders.

The principles call for action from states, UN bodies and agencies, national human rights institutions, the media, NGOs, professional associations and others.

The Yogyakarta Principles plus 10 are available in English at: www.yogyakartaprinciples.org. French, Spanish and Chinese versions will be available shortly, while Arabic and Russian versions will be published in early 2018.

People can also join webinars – on 16 January 2018 (https://cc.readytalk.com/r/br7t74fuxb08&eom) and 15 February 2018 (https://cc.readytalk.com/r/gx45ipcwxe7u&eom) – to learn more.

Date: 5 December 2017


Image credits

  1. "RESPECT" sign in rainbow colours - Australian Human Rights Commission