Important foundations, uneven protection
- Universal human-rights principles
- Interpretations by courts and monitoring bodies
- Regional protections
- Inconsistent national implementation
- Protections dispersed across multiple instruments
The case for a convention
Why SHIELD?
Universal rights are strongest when their application is clear, specific and enforceable.
The protection gap
A fragmented system leaves too much to chance
Progress under existing law is real, but protections remain dispersed and implementation varies profoundly.
One coherent international standard
- One comprehensive international instrument
- Explicit LGBTQ protections
- Clear state obligations
- Monitoring and reporting
- International cooperation
- Accessible standards for policymakers, courts and civil society
Clarification, not replacement
Why a specific convention?
Specific conventions do not replace universal human rights. They clarify how universal rights apply to groups facing persistent and identifiable patterns of discrimination.
CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child demonstrate how detailed protection can develop while remaining firmly grounded in universal human-rights principles. SHIELD LGBT proposes a comparable process of clarification for LGBTQ persons—not a new category of rights, but stronger implementation of rights that already belong to everyone.