While significant progress has been made to further LGBTIQ+ inclusion, we still have a long way to go to achieve true equality. LGBTIQ+ people of all ages and in all regions of the world suffer from violations and abuse of their human rights. Unfortunately, nearly 70 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex relationships, few legally recognize the identity and protect the rights of transgender people, and even fewer protect intersex people from harm. Businesses have an important role to play and a responsibility to respect the human rights of LGBTIQ+ people in the workplace and beyond.
The UN LGBTIQ+ Standards Gap Analysis Tool aims to help companies do their part to counter these abuses and promote LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the workplace and beyond. Through showcasing good practices for advancing LGBTIQ+ equality around the world, providing an opportunity to measure progress over time, and leveraging resources for continuous improvement, the Tool helps businesses meet their human rights responsibilities and become active agents of change.
The UN LGBTIQ+ Standards Gap Analysis Tool (Tool) guides companies on their journey to implement the UN Standards of Conduct for Business in Tackling Discrimination against LGBTI People (or the "Standards"), which was published by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2017 and serves as the first internationally-accepted set of Standards on the private sector's role and responsibility to respect the rights of LGBTIQ+ communities in the workplace and beyond. The Tool is a free, user-friendly and strictly confidential online platform that helps companies assess current policies and programmes, highlight areas for improvement, and identify opportunities to set future corporate goals and targets. Furthermore, the Tool provides companies with a roadmap to better align their practices, policies and procedures with the UN Standards of Conduct.