UN Committee Urges Guyana to Repeal Discriminatory Laws

On Wednesday, October 21, 2015, the USAID – Advancing Partners and Communities (APC) Guyana Project and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) hosted the second in its series of "Lunch Talks" at the APC office in Oleander Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. This “Lunch Talk” sought to examine the Concluding Observations from the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on Guyana’s recent review on September 28 - 29, 2015.

The Concluding Observations after Guyana’s recent review on September 28 and 29 were released on October 9, 2015.  The Concluding Observations contain the collective assessment of the state's record and recommendations for enhanced implementation of the rights under the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

At the “Lunch Talk”, a team from SASOD including of Managing Director, Joel Simpson; Advocacy and Communications Officer, Schemel Patrick and SASOD Volunteers, Monica Brinn and Chase Gorishek, shared a summary of the SASOD’s Stakeholder Report accentuating pertinent topics that were highlighted by the Committee in its Comcluding Observations to the Government of Guyana. The discussion around the table interrogated the Concluding Observations and outlined a clear roadmap of how the Government of Guyana can meet its treaty obligations to fulfil the economic, social and cultural rights of all Guyanese.

SASOD Charges Government to Repeal Discriminatory Laws through UN Review Process

SASOD’s Managing Director, Joel Simspon

On Wednesday, October 7, 2015, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) held a media briefing at the Guyana Marriott Hotel Georgetown to discuss Guyana’s recent review under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) that was held in Geneva on September 28 – 29, 2015 during the 56th Session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and to share a synopsis of the Stakeholders Report on the Protection of the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Persons in Guyana which SASOD submitted to CESCR on August 30, 2015,ahead of the country review.

Speaking at the media briefing were SASOD’s Managing Director, Joel Simspon, and Advocacy and Communication’s Officer, Schemel Patrick, and the UNAIDS Country Coordinator, Dr. Martin Odiit.

In his opening remarks, Simpson provided a brief background on how the CESCR works. He noted that the Guyana signed ICESCR in 1968 and ratified it in 1977. Simpson lamented that Guyana had failed to meet its treaty obligation to report to CESCR every 5 years and charged the APNU+AFC Government to improve the abysmal treaty-body reporting record of the previous administration.