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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has said:

“All over the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of all ages face harassment and discrimination — at work, at home, at school and in many other everyday situations. In many countries, national laws are skewed against them.

In some 76 States, having a partner of the same sex is a criminal offense. People are being arrested, singled out for physical attack, being tortured, even killed – just for being in a loving relationship.

When I raise these issues, some complain that I’m pushing for “new rights” or “special rights” for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But there is nothing new or special about the right to life and security of person, the right to freedom from discrimination. These and other rights are universal … enshrined in international law but denied to many of our fellow human beings simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

We cannot let these abuses stand. We know what needs to be done. States must repeal discriminatory laws and ban discriminatory practices: punish violence and hatred … not love.
And we should all challenge homophobic attitudes. The best antidote is education – for children and adults alike. Reach out. Talk. Learn. And help make our world safer and better for everyone.
This is an historic moment: more and more States recognize the need for action and are speaking up – including here at the United Nations. With your help and the support of millions of people who believe in universal human rights, we will secure equal rights for every last one of us.”Pillay on homophobia: Punish violence and hatred, not love!

On 1 May 2012, International Labour Day, a senior officer at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) commenced a hunger strike to protest against the continuous injustice affecting WIPO staff. He informed the WIPO Director General about his concerns by letter. 

Since October 2008, when the organization began its "strategic realignment," staff members have felt under threat. Reorganization should not be an excuse to ignore the dignity of staff, nor should it be used to eliminate the human aspects inherent in human resources. Staff want to be respected above all else.   

Today, 11 May 2012, marks the 10th day of the hunger strike. To date, the administration has remained silent. The member states, including the home country of the staff member, and other authorities are aware of this protest; however, no one has yet come forward to inquire about the well-being of the staff member or to resolve the issues raised by him.  

Our organizations have a duty of care towards their staff – in other words, to look after the health, safety and welfare of their staff. Please send messages of solidarity to the FICSA secretariat and we will forward them to the concerned staff member.

Crisis Committee at UNESCO

The two staff representative bodies at UNESCO have set up a Crisis Committee to mobilize staff in response to Friday's decision by the governing body to adopt a number of provisions, effectively confiscating statutory responsibilities conferred by the Constitution on the Director-General with regard to the management of staff, which could lead to numerous job losses and significant changes in the status and working conditions of staff, effectively taking UNESCO out of the United Nations common system.

Crisis Committee at UNESCO.doc

While in Bangkok for the ICSC session, FICSA was made aware of the great dissatisfaction of the approximately 1000 local staff, who had recently learned that the results of the salary survey showed that the salaries of GS staff were 27% higher than those of the local market, and those of National Officers were 40% higher. These results were unprecedented in any salary survey.

In view of the results, the local salary scales for GS staff and NOs would be frozen for serving staff, and a second, lower scale would be introduced for newly recruited staff.

Local staff mobilized, and administrators from UNHQ who were attending the ICSC session in Bangkok organized Town Hall meetings. FICSA met on several occasions with local staff to offer advice and provide moral support.

This experience clearly illustrates the pressing need for transparency in the salary survey process, at every step.