Dear Editor,

Friday, November 16, 2007, is designated International Day of Tolerance by the United Nations.

This year’s commemoration of Intern-ational Day of Tolerance follows on the heels of a panel discussion to promote the release of the Yogyakarta Principles at UN Headquarters on November 7, 2007. These principles collate and clarify current state obligations under international law to address human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Each principle is accompanied by detailed recommendations to states, as well as other actors, including the UN human rights system, national human rights institutions, the media, NGOs and funders.(See:http://www. yogyakar taprin-ciples.org/) Several permanent missions were represented at the event, including Guyana’s, along with NGOs and others working to promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

Given recent manifestations of homophobia in Guyana, two key points are of particular interest from the panel discussion. Federico Villegas Beltr