Heads of UN Agencies Mark the IDAHOT 2014

This year, the United Nations agencies have been particularly active in marking the Day.
While Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released a special statement, the Free and Equal campaign lead by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay released a special video to mark the Day and an interesting map debunking the myths that sexual and gender diversities are contemporary Western concepts.
UNAIDS director Michel Sidibé, who has been marking the Day since very early days, also sent a strong message of support and created a powerful video
ILO’s Director General Guy Ryder strongly stood up against stigma of LGBT people in the workplace.
UNESCO held several activities, including events in Geneva and in Bangkok 
UNDP’s Administrator Helen Clark reminded of the organic connection between Development and Human Rights
Also noteworthy, UN Women’s Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka marked the Day for the first time with a message underlining “the oppression of LGBTI people is closely related to the discrimination that women face in their daily lives”
UNHCR also marked the Day for the first time, with a message from High Commissioner António Guterres to all staff, reminding of the “specific risks that LGBTI people face in many parts of the world”