However, 62 countries across the world have laws that criminalize same-sex sexual conduct, many of which trace their origins back to colonialism.7 In 2023 there was a new wave of legal actions or proposals to diminish LGBTI rights. A new law in Uganda introduced the death penalty for the offence of “aggravated homosexuality”. In Ghana, parliament approved an “anti-gay” bill. Russia adopted new transphobic legislation, Bulgaria ended legal gender recognition for transgender people and the UK blocked the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Act. In India, the Supreme Court refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriage. There have been arrests and prosecutions of LGBTI people in many regions and restrictions on organizations defending LGBTI rights. In 2023, scores were arrested and, in some cases, even imprisoned under provisions that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations in countries including Burundi, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia or for organizing gay weddings or parties in Nigeria. In China, a prominent LGBTI organization was forced to close in the face of the government’s ongoing anti-LGBTI campaign. Russia effectively outlawed any public LGBTI rights-related activity by labelling as “extremist” an undefined “international LGBT movement”. Violent crimes against LGBTI people have persisted and remained unpunished in many regions. In Guatemala, where same-sex marriage remained illegal, at least 34 people were killed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In Lebanon, authorities incited violence against LGBTI people. In Iraq, authorities ordered media to replace the term “homosexuality” with “sexual deviance”. All governments should support gender justice and allied movements to tackle discrimination against women and reinforce sexual and reproductive rights. They should prioritize programmes to tackle gender-based violence and meet the longer-term needs of survivors. They should advocate the repeal of laws and policies that discriminate against LGBTI people. IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISES AND CLIMATE CHANGE Economic crises, climate change and environmental degradation have disproportionately affected marginalized communities. Human rights defenders campaigning for the rights of these communities have also been targeted as part of the wider repression of dissent. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS The combination of conflict, climate change and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic have fuelled a range of economic crises. In a context where 4.1 billion people are not covered by any social protection mechanism other than healthcare, these crises have had a deep human rights impact, including high levels of food and fuel insecurity. They also seriously threaten the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals, which reached their midpoint in 2023. A report by the UN Secretary-General in April 2023 revealed that “of around 140 targets with data, only about 12% are on track”. As a result, on current trends 575 million people will be living in extreme poverty in 2030 despite a goal to eradicate it completely. Economic shocks have deepened national indebtedness in countries already facing debt crises. According to a World Bank report of December 2023, about 60% of the world’s lowincome countries were either in or at high risk of debt distress. Many more were spending vast sums of money, which they needed to fulfil human rights, on growing debt repayments. Countries in severe debt distress have included Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine and Zambia. While the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has reported some reductions in global food prices compared to the peak in 2022, prices have remained very high compared to the period before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and in many markets The State of the World’s Human Rights 19