June 28, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The foreign ministers of Canada, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Uruguay today issued the following statement:

“On the occasion of International LGBTQI+ Pride Day 2025, we, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Uruguay are speaking and acting as one to champion the rights of LGBTQI+ people.

“At a time when hate speech and hate crimes are on the rise, and in view of efforts to strip LGBTQI+ people of their rights, we reject all forms of violence, criminalization, stigmatization or discrimination, which constitute human rights violations.

“It is our understanding that respect for diversity, equality and tolerance require the support, at the international level, of measures aimed at decriminalization, and at preventing and eliminating harassment of all kinds—including homophobic and transphobic harassment. Also measures to advance the implementation of diversity policies and the fight against discrimination, and to favour the inclusion of LGBTQI+ people, especially transgender people in society and in the workplace.

“We recognize that LGBTQI+ people face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, particularly when they are also part of other historically marginalized groups, communities, and populations, such as indigenous peoples, afro-descendants, people with disabilities, migrants, elderly people, or those who living in poverty. Promoting their full and effective inclusion requires an intersectional approach that structurally addresses these inequalities.

“We are joining forces to work hand in hand for the equal rights of LGBTQI+ people and to bring the criminalization of same-sex relations worldwide to an end.

“We call on all States to join us on this path, repealing discriminatory laws and refusing to adopt new laws that criminalize relations between persons of the same sex or punish people for their sexual orientation or gender identity. We call for an end to the prosecution of LGBTI+ people, and especially to the application of imprisonment and capital punishment. We further call for an end to so-called conversion “therapy” practices intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, which can cause psychological and physical pain and suffering and are inherently discriminatory. What is at stake here is a matter of full respect for human rights and human dignity, of strengthening equality, diversity and prosperity, leaving no one behind.

“Therefore, we, the public authorities, must implement policy that, in alignment with international human rights standards, pursues effective equality of LGBTQI+ people and seeks to combat all forms of discrimination. We celebrate sexual diversity and family diversity, in the conviction that inclusive, equitable, and tolerant societies founded on solidarity are also stronger, healthier and more resilient.

“Lastly, we reassert our commitment to respecting the human rights of LGBTQI+ people, to ensuring that their equality before the law is incontestable and that no one is prosecuted or subject to discriminated because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Let us build societies in which all human beings are free to live and love as they choose.”