Fall Updates: a UN System that is a stronger advocate for LGBTIQ+ people everywhere

UN-GLOBE continues to be actively involved in ensuring that the LGBTIQ+ voice is heard in all internal policies and programmatic work of the UN system. We want a UN System that is a stronger advocate for LGBTIQ+ people everywhere, including internally.

Although a lot of our efforts involve advocacy and working with UN senior leaders, we are also invested in strengthening a sense of community in the UN system for LGBTIQ+ people in all duty stations, particularly in the field where this need is greatest.

As part of our efforts to strengthen a sense of community, UN-GLOBE launched last year an internship program that pairs LGBTIQ+ workers with more senior personnel. Very soon, we’ll be launching part two of the mentorship program so please stay tuned, and I hope you participate!

Gender Parity Strategy and Model Policy on Sexual Harassment

As the UN System drafts a model policy on sexual harassment, UN-GLOBE is working with UN Administrations to ensure that the policy takes into account not only sexual harassment towards the LGBTIQ+ but also gendered forms of harassment— whether it is towards people who don’t conform to gender roles (women who act too masculine; men who act too feminine), or people who identify as trans.

Those tasked with drafting the model policy are welcoming our inputs, which is a good indication that UN-GLOBE is increasingly asked to take a seat at the table. 

If you have witnessed or been impacted by this issue,  please get in touch with us privately at ohrm_globe@un.org I want to ensure that your experience is heard.

UN-GLOBE will also continue to work to make sure the gender parity policy is more inclusive. We have to ensure that there is cultural change in the UN System on how we think of gender, from gender binary, to gender diversity. And we have to ensure that one of the key aspects of the gender parity policy is looking at conditions of service in the field.

LGBTIQ+ in the field struggle quite often in ways cisgender and straight-identified staff do not. We have to ensure these experiences are heard!

Welcome to New Coordinators!

Lastly, I want to welcome Lidia Porto, from Brazil, as our new UN-GLOBE Coordinator for UNFPA. UNFPA senior leadership has been invested in having a UN-GLOBE representative, and we thank them for their desire to work with us on diversity and inclusion.

Over the next months, we will continue to recruit new UN-GLOBE Coordinators in as many field duty stations as we can, and in agencies where we don’t have representation.  The UN-GLOBE Board will be guided by one key aim during selection: to have more gender diversity and more geographical diversity among our representatives.

Hyung Hak Nam, President, UN-GLOBE