The UN Human Rights Council voted last week to appoint an independent expert on LGBT issues who will visit countries, investigate, and report on rights violations worldwide. The vote took place after several hours of deliberation and was narrow, at 23 members for, 18 against, and 6 abstaining.
The expert will be appointed in September and will represent the first move to “effectively institutionalize” LGBT issues in the Human Rights Council, according to the UN News Centre. The expert will not cover intersex issues.
Opponents of the appointment, including members representing Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, argued that the move was not a reflection of the entire UNHRC’s views, while proponents pointed to the recent attack in Orlando and the need for greater LGBT protections.