The Yogyakarta Principles is a document about human rights in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity that was published as the outcome of an international meeting of human rights groups in Yogyakarta , Indonesia , in November The principles were supplemented and expanded in to include new grounds of gender expression and sex characteristics and a number of new principles.
However, the Principles have never been accepted by the United Nations UN and the attempt to make gender identity and sexual orientation new categories of non-discrimination has been repeatedly rejected by the General Assembly , the UN Human Rights Council and other UN bodies. The principles and the supplement contain a set of precepts intended to apply the standards of international human rights law to address the abuse of human rights of lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender , and intersex LGBTI people.
The Principles themselves are a lengthy document addressing legal matters. A website that was established to hold the principles and to make them accessible has an overview of the principles, [ 2 ] reproduced here in full:. The website promoting the Principles notes that concerns have been voiced about a trend of people's human rights being violated because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While the United Nations human rights instruments detail obligations to ensure that people are protected from discrimination and stereotypes , [ 5 ] which includes people's expression of sexual orientation or gender identity, implementation of these rights has been fragmented and inconsistent internationally.
The Principles aim to provide a consistent understanding about application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. The seminar clarified the nature, scope and implementation of states' human rights obligations under existing human rights treaties and law, in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. The principles that developed out of this meeting were adopted by human rights experts from around the world, and included judges, academics, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, NGOs and others.
The concluding document "contains 29 principles adopted unanimously by the experts, along with recommendations to governments, regional intergovernmental institutions , civil society, and the UN itself". These principles have not been adopted by States in a treaty , and are thus not by themselves a legally binding part of international human rights law.
