UN Universal Periodic Review of Iraq: 17 LGBTQ+ recommendations rejected
Iraq underwent its fourth-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council in late 2024. The UPR is a peer-review mechanism where every UN member state’s human rights record is examined every 4–5 years, and member states issue recommendations that the country under review can accept or note (effectively reject).
The recommendations
According to compilations by ILGA World and Outright International, 17 recommendations specifically addressing sexual orientation and gender identity were issued to Iraq during the 2024 UPR cycle. These came from countries including Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Norway, and others.
The recommendations called on Iraq to:
- Repeal or amend Law No. 14 of 2024
- Decriminalize same-sex relations
- Investigate and prosecute violence against LGBTQ+ individuals
- Protect freedom of expression on LGBTQ+ topics
- Prevent extralegal violence by armed groups against LGBTQ+ Iraqis
- Provide effective state protection
- Repeal media commission directives that frame LGBTQ+ identity as deviance
- End persecution and prosecution of trans Iraqis
- Provide gender-affirming healthcare without criminal liability for providers
- Cooperate with UN human rights mechanisms on these issues
Iraq’s response
Iraq rejected all 17 LGBTQ+-specific recommendations, characterizing them as “interference in cultural and religious values.”
Iraq did accept some recommendations on related but non-LGBTQ+-specific issues:
- General prohibition of torture (a treaty obligation Iraq is already subject to)
- Some provisions on arbitrary detention
- Cooperation with UN human rights treaty bodies in general
This acceptance is procedurally meaningful but does not commit Iraq to any LGBTQ+-specific protection.
Why this matters
The UPR outcome itself does not change Iraqi domestic law. What it provides is:
- Authoritative international documentation that Iraq is failing on LGBTQ+ human rights, by Iraq’s own self-presentation at the UN.
- A basis for asylum claims. Asylum officers in destination countries reference UPR findings as Country of Origin Information (COI). Iraq’s rejection of LGBTQ+ recommendations strengthens the case that the state is unwilling to protect LGBTQ+ Iraqis. See Asylum Pathways alert.
- Pressure on bilateral relationships. Some donor countries calibrate aid and diplomatic engagement based on human rights performance. UPR rejections feed into those calculations, though the practical effect on Iraq has been modest.
What you can do with this information
- For asylum claims: UPR documentation is publicly available at OHCHR.org and is admissible as COI in most asylum systems.
- For advocacy: International pressure on Iraq’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies is one of the few external counterweights. ILGA World, Outright International, and Human Rights Watch maintain ongoing advocacy programs.
- For documentation: If you experience violence, persecution, or rights violations as a queer Iraqi, you can report to:
- Outright International (outrightinternational.org)
- Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)
- The UN Special Rapporteur on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (the IE SOGI mechanism)
These organizations cannot intervene in individual cases the way an asylum lawyer can, but they collect documentation that informs subsequent UPR cycles, COI reports, and international advocacy.
Looking forward
Iraq’s next UPR cycle will be in 2028–2029. The patterns of rejection are unlikely to change without internal political shifts, but the documentation continues to accumulate — and that documentation is what makes asylum claims more straightforward, what informs international policy, and what records this period for future accountability.
For more international context, see our LGBTQIA+ history guide including the modern Arab queer movement section.