Today in Sydney, representatives of Australia and the United States held their first joint dialogue on advancing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. The dialogue occurred alongside the Pacific LGBTI Youth Forum. The Forum has been a productive opportunity to hear directly from civil society in the Pacific region.

Australia and the United States are committed to working together to address violence and discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

We will increase cooperation to advance the human rights of LGBTI people around the world. We are committed in particular to stepping up our efforts in the Indo-Pacific region to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI people, coordinate how we provide targeted funding for LGBTI communities and improve our outreach to civil society organizations, which play a vital role in driving change.

We will be a strong and positive voice for the human rights of LGBTI persons in the United Nations. We will work together as members of the Equal Rights Coalition with 29 other like-minded governments to advance equal rights and genuine inclusion for all around the globe.

We are committed to the Global Equality Fund, a path-breaking initiative which brings together 25 governments and major corporations committed to advancing the human rights of LGBTI people. We will soon launch two new initiatives in the Pacific to increase civil society efforts to address violence and discrimination against LGBTI persons.

This dialogue is founded on our fundamental and enduring shared commitment to building stronger and more inclusive societies where the most vulnerable are empowered to live freely, with dignity and without fear of intimidation or violence.

For further information, please contact Kerri Spindler-Ranta at Spindler-RantaK@state.gov.