The global struggle to secure the human rights of LGBTQ people has a powerful advocate at the United Nations: the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But the advocate’s voice could be silenced in July 2025 if the U.N.’s Human Rights Council fails to renew its mandate. 

Behind the scenes, an international coalition of nongovernmental organizations is campaigning for the mandate's renewal.

Journalist David Hunt talks with human rights activist Fabiana Leibl of the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva about the upcoming vote. The program also features audio of human rights experts Jessica Stern and Ignacio Saiz, courtesy of the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School.

An edited version of this feature aired on This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine. 

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David Hunt is an Emmy-winning journalist and documentary producer who has reported on America's culture wars since the 1970s. Explore his blog, Tell Me, David.