The World Bank Appoints First Senior Advisor to Tackle LGBTI Issues Sebastien Malo - Thomson Reuters Foundation
go to original October 29, 2016

The LGBTI community wave a rainbow flag during a march in support of gay marriage, sexual and gender diversity in Mexico City (Reuters)

The World Bank has appointed its first adviser tasked with promoting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) issues in its development work.

The newly created senior position is part of the bank's efforts to solidify its commitment to researching and curbing discrimination against LGBTI persons across the 136 countries where it has offices, it said on Thursday.

The initiative by the poverty-fighting institution comes at a time when discrimination against LGBTI people is facing increased scrutiny globally.

The bank, which makes loans in developing countries and conducts research, named Clifton Cortez to fill the position. With two decades of experience in development, Cortez most recently managed partnerships for the United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS.

In recent years, the bank's research has increasingly turned to the economic impact of discrimination on LGBTI persons, the bank said.

Read the rest at Thomson Reuters Foundation

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