HIGHLIGHTS OF RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS OF RESULTS Highlights of pillar results Non-Discrimination (ND) UN HUMAN RIGHTS SUPPORTS GROUND-BREAKING ADVANCES IN EUROPEAN RECOGNITION OF SAME-SEX FAMILIES PILLAR RESULTS / SHIFTS / SDGs RESULTS / SPOTLIGHTS ND1 On 9 October, the Parliament of Tunisia adopted a Law on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the first of its kind in the Arab World and the second within the African continent. The law defines and criminalizes racial discrimination. UN Human Rights accompanied the drafting of this law from the outset in 2016. It engaged with the Ministry of Human Rights to ensure the active participation of civil society in the drafting process and with the ministerial group in charge of the preparation of the draft project to ensure its conformity with international standards. Laws, policies and practices more effectively combat discrimination in all forms, and responsible authorities actively work to ‘leave no one behind’, including by addressing the root causes of inequality. Spotlights: Youth Disabilities ‘spouse’ includes same-sex couples under the European Union’s free movement law. As the CJEU is the European Union’s highest court, its judgment is binding on all EU member states. Women The UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe was proud to lend its support to this advance of equal rights in Europe. It provided a detailed summary of international law requirements regarding the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, available at: https://europe. ohchr.org/EN/Stories/Pages/EuropeanUnionCourt.aspx. The summary by UN Human Rights was also included as part of the pleadings at both the CJEU and the Romanian Constitutional Court. In Jamaica, six national NGOs working on LGBTI rights improved their knowledge of and skills in international human rights standards and practices through training provided by UN Human Rights in collaboration with UNDP. The training was delivered within the regional programme known as Being LGBTI in the Caribbean and focused on the use of international, regional and national human rights mechanisms, including protection and complaints procedures and the monitoring and reporting of human rights violations, with a special emphasis on violations against LGBTI communities. ND2 Justice systems and related institutions increasingly monitor and investigate discrimination and provide redress to victims. ND3 Legal and social frameworks increasingly promote women’s and girls’ autonomy and choice and protect them from violence, including in the digital space. 36 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 Shifts: UN Human Rights provided technical support to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) in Uganda to conduct public inquiries in the Mayuge district. The inquiries were held to address complaints of discrimination that were filed by individual workers and groups of persons against Mayuge Sugar Industries Limited, the Mayuge District Local Government and the Mayuge Town Council. The EOC ensured that some of the complainants received immediate redress, including compensation; the delivery of work identity cards to all employees; the development of a human resources manual and the construction of proper toilets and a canteen. Following the report of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice on its visit to Chad, the Government of Chad implemented some of the recommendations in the report on establishing quotas for the equal participation of women in politics and on releasing some women in detention with young children. The Working Group report welcomed Chad’s development of laws aimed at protecting women’s rights and noted some progress towards achieving women’s right to equality within a precarious socio-economic situation and fragile environment. The Working Group stressed that despite the limitations to the effective implementation of these laws, the new legal framework provides for access to the termination of pregnancy under certain circumstances and criminalizes gender-based violence. Global Constituency Prevention Civic Space Romanita Iordache, one of the lawyers affiliated with the Romanian LGBTI rights group, ACCEPT, that was involved in the case, said: “The Coman case is about the core values of non-discrimination and the celebration of diversity. Constitutional traditions and personal biases cannot be invoked in order to limit human rights.” The Romanian Constitutional Court ruled that Romanian authorities must grant a residence permit to Mr Clai Hamilton (third from the right), a US citizen and the husband of Mr Adrian Coman, a Romanian citizen (seventh from the right). © OHCHR/Europe On 18 July, the Romanian Constitutional Court ruled that Romanian authorities must grant a residence permit to Mr Clai Hamilton, a US citizen and the husband of Mr Adrian Coman, a Romanian citizen. The judgment followed a prior ruling in the so-called Coman case that had been handed down by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), in June. The CJEU ruled that the term ND4 Judicial institutions, media, and other sectors increasingly recognize and challenge harmful gender stereotypes and gender norms with a view to their eradication. Shifts: Climate change Corruption On the occasion of the judgment, Adrian Coman said, “The EU Court judgment is evidence that human rights and dignity are within reach for same-sex families, even if they come in small steps. Clai and I are grateful to ACCEPT, our lawyers, our parents, our friends and the many individuals and organizations, such as the UN Human Rights Office, who supported us and believed in our cause.” In South-West Asia and the Arab Region, UN Human Rights strengthened the capacity of lawyers, academics, human rights defenders, NHRIs and CSOs to challenge gender stereotypes and prevailing gender norms by developing a reference tool that compiles the 37 General Recommendations that have been adopted by CEDAW. These General Recommendations cover a wide range of issues, including gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change and women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations. The publication is intended to serve as a guide to those advocating for and seeking to protect women’s rights. It will be used in trainings delivered by the Training and Documentation Centre in Doha and other UN Human Rights field presences in the Arab region. Inequalities New technologies People on the move UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 37