Issue
Since their issuance in 2007, the Yogyakarta Principles have been the primary document defining the application of international human rights law with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity. They were developed by a group of international human rights experts who met in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In January 2017, ARC International issued a call for comment on how the Yogyakarta Principles should be supplemented to reflect developments in and the current state of international human rights law.
Impact
The Yogyakarta Principles affirm binding international legal standards with which all governments must comply. Submissions regarding revisions to the Principles will be reviewed by the drafting committee that will issue revised principles to ensure that sexual and gender minorities continue to be fully protected under international human rights law.
Summary
The submissions propose three revisions. The first submission proposes a principle for recognizing the freedom to engage in private, adult, consensual, sexual activity. The second proposal promotes the ethical collection of data about sexual and gender minority populations. The third submission proposes new definitions of sexual orientation and gender identity which better address cross-cultural meanings of these terms.
First Submission: Freedom of Sexuality
Second Submission: Definition of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Third Submission: Ethical Data Collection of Sexual and Gender Minorities