Mongolia: UN expert to assess human rights of LGBT persons

During the visit, the Independent Expert will assess the implementation of national and international human rights standards to combat violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other gender-diverse (LGBT) persons.

The expert will travel to Ulaanbaatar, Erdenet, and Darkhan to meet with Government officials, civil society representatives, and other actors involved in the protection of the human rights of LGBT persons across the country, as well as with LGBT persons themselves.

By gathering information on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Reid aims to identify good practices and opportunities for improvement and develop recommendations to the Government of Mongolia and other relevant stakeholders on how to address ongoing challenges and strengthen protections for LGBT persons, in line with international human rights law and standards.

The Independent Expert will hold a press conference to share his preliminary findings on Friday, 29 May at 11:00 AM local time at the United Nations House in Ulaanbaatar at United Nations Street-14, Sukhbaatar District. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. To register for the press conference please email Krishnan Raghavan (krishnan.raghavan@un.org). 

The Independent Expert will present a comprehensive report on the visit to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2027.

ENDS

Graeme Reid, Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organisation, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.

Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/

UN Human Rights, country page – Mongolia

For inquiries and media requests, please contact: Krishnan Raghavan (krishnan.raghavan@un.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts, please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org)  

 Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on X: @UN_SPExperts.