Today’s episode is part of a new series organized by co-host Diego Garcia Blum and Victor Madrigal-Burloz called Our Queer UN, where they explore the intersection between different UN mandates and LGBTQI+ rights. This first episode, Our Queer Planet, is focused on climate, environment and human rights. 

Victor Madrigal-Burloz is a former UN Independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and a leading voice in advancing LGBTQI+ rights. He is currently a faculty member at the Harvard Law School and faculty affiliate with the Global LGBTQI+ human rights program. 

For this first episode, Diego and Victor welcome Astrid Puentes Riaño, a United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment who has spent years working at the intersection of environmental protection and human rights around the world. In their conversation they discuss a wide range of topics including: understanding the UN mandate on environment and human rights, the intersection of LGBTQI+ rights and climate rights, the impact of environmental degradation on vulnerable communities around the world, and recent research findings on LGBTQI+ rights and climate change infrastructure.