ILGA Asia 2023 Human Rights and Sustainable Development

Mechanisms Training for Southeast Asian LGBTIQ Activists

Concept Note

Summary:

● What: ILGA Asia UN human rights and sustainable development mechanisms training
● For who: Southeast Asian LGBTIQ activists and human rights defenders
● Where: Chiang Mai (TBD), Thailand
● When: Saturday, 9 December - Monday, 11 December 2023 (arrival to venue Friday, 8
December, departure from venue Tuesday, 12 December)

Background:
Accountability is essential for ensuring that the human rights of LGBTIQ persons are respected,
protected, and fulfilled, and for ensuring that no one is left behind in the implementation of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For LGBTIQ human rights defenders (HRDs) and community activists across Southeast Asia
(SEA), navigating national human rights and sustainable development advocacy and
accountability processes can present serious challenges: As of 2023, 3 SEA countries and 1
province explicitly criminalize same-sex consensual sex acts (Brunei, Indonesia - Aceh
province, Malaysia, and Myanmar).1 As of 2020, 3 SEA countries impose explicit legal barriers
to freedom of expression on sexual orientation and gender identity issues (Indonesia, Malaysia,
and Singapore), and 2 “have legal barriers to the formation, establishment or registration of
NGOs working on issues related sexual and gender diversity” (Malaysia and Singapore).2

1
ILGA World Database, “Criminalisation of consensual same-sex sexual acts.”
https://database.ilga.org/criminalisation-consensual-same-sex-sexual-acts
2
ILGA World 2020 State Sponsored Homophobia Report, p. 151, 174
https://ilga.org/ilga-world-releases-state-sponsored-homophobia-December-2020-update

Contact:
Omair Paul, Senior Global Advocacy Officer - ILGA Asia: omair@ilgaasia.org
TH: +66 98 827 5546
Furthermore, across SEA, there has been an upsurge of censorship, attacks, and reprisals on
LGBTIQ persons and organizations in recent years, including doxxing of LGBTIQ HRDs.3 SEA
civil society organizations continue to bear witness to the consolidation of power by junta
authorities who stall progress to prevent peaceful and democratic transitions.4 But UN human
rights accountability and sustainable development follow up and review mechanisms at
regional and international levels present opportunities to raise pressing human rights issues
affecting LGBTIQ communities across SEA where national opportunities may not exist, are
inaccessible, or are too dangerous to engage.

To this end, ILGA Asia is seeking to support the in-person training and capacity building of
20 LGBTIQ activists from SEA countries (Brunei-Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Viet Nam), on entry points,
strategy, and practical insight into the UN human rights and sustainable development
ecosystem, including process timelines and mechanisms for civil society engagement. The
training will cover:

1. Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, including each in-country phase (i.e. review,
recommendations follow-up, and national consultations and drafting), civil society
shadow report drafting, and international advocacy at the UN;
2. UN human rights Treaty Bodies, including national consultations during country report
drafting, national concluding observations follow up and review advocacy, civil society
shadow report drafting, and international advocacy during treaty body sessions;
3. Special procedures mechanisms, including engagement with relevant special
rapporteurs through submissions to thematic reports, national lobbying for country
visits, and individual complaints mechanisms, and national and international advocacy
around recommendations follow up and implementation;
4. SDGs follow up and review processes and civil society engagement mechanisms at
national (where applicable), regional, and international levels, including Spotlight report
drafting strategies.

3
ILGA Asia, “Solidarity with ASEAN SOGIE Caucus and Condemnation of Ongoing Attacks.”
https://www.ilgaasia.org/news/2023/7/19/solidarity-with-asean-sogie-caucus-and-condemnation-of-ongoin
g-attacks
4
“Report of the [UN] Independent Investigative Mechanism for
Myanmar.”
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G23/125/00/PDF/G2312500.pdf?OpenElement

Contact:
Omair Paul, Senior Global Advocacy Officer - ILGA Asia: omair@ilgaasia.org
TH: +66 98 827 5546
By creating space and providing support for capacity building workshops, system-wide human
rights and sustainable development mechanisms training, and knowledge sharing
opportunities, LGBTIQ activists across Southeast Asia—particularly those marginalized, made
vulnerable, and disadvantaged by income inequality, in-country political instability, and hostile
environments for civil society organizations—can be empowered to engage the UN in a safe,
autonomous, sustainable, and impactful manner, and leverage international advocacy to
facilitate positive legal, policy, and social shifts in-country—specifically for SOGIESC rights
protections and stakeholder sensitization.

Objectives:
The training is guided by the overarching impact to achieve positive social and legal shifts in
SEA countries towards the awareness and codification of SOGIESC related rights protections
and the elimination of discriminatory law, policy, and social practice. The training is guided by
the following short to mid-term objectives:

1. Support SEA LGBTIQ activists’ and HRD’s advocacy, representation, and autonomous
engagement of UN human rights accountability and sustainable development follow up
and review mechanisms;
2. Create spaces for knowledge sharing between SEA activists and HRDs on advocacy
and lobbying strategies across SEA countries, and fostering solidarity between activists;
3. Maximize SOGIESC-specific outputs from UN human rights mechanisms, including
UPR recommendations, concluding observations, and recommendations from special
rapporteurs, and explicit SOGIESC linkages with goals and targets of the SDGs and
SOGIESC mainstreaming throughout their follow up and review.

Target countries:
Activists from the following SEA countries will be invited to apply to attend the training (noting
that, to ensure equal representation of all countries, a maximum of 3 participants per country
will be supported):

1. Brunei-Darussalam
2. Cambodia
3. Indonesia
4. Lao PDR
5. Malaysia
6. Myanmar
7. Philippines

Contact:
Omair Paul, Senior Global Advocacy Officer - ILGA Asia: omair@ilgaasia.org
TH: +66 98 827 5546
 8. Singapore
9. Thailand
10. Timor-Leste
11. Viet Nam

Activities:
ILGA Asia will support 20 activists to participate in a 3-day program that consists of lectures
from SEA-based human rights and sustainable development advocates and fellow activists,
practical and hands-on human rights violations documenting, reporting, and advocacy/policy
brief writing exercises, and sharing of good practices and resources for digital and online
advocacy safety, security, and wellbeing.

The lectures, exercises, and resources shared will be tailored to the knowledge levels of
SOGIESC international human rights standards, sustainable development goals and targets
and advocacy needs of participants as drawn from the Application and Needs Assessment
form. While some informal language interpretation services may be available, the training will be
conducted in English.

Outcomes:
1. Continued and increased engagement of Southeast Asian LGBTIQ activists and voices
from SEA countries in UN human rights and sustainable development mechanisms.
2. Increase in total number of SOCIESC-related recommendations and concluding
observations delivered to SEA countries through UN human rights mechanisms.
3. Inclusion of LGBTIQ organizations and communities in the SEA government facilitated
SDG Voluntary National Review processes, and increased representation in national civil
society SDG advocacy and coordination spaces.
4. Strengthened national advocacy campaigns aimed at relevant stakeholders towards the
implementation of SOGIESC-related UPR recommendations and treaty body
concluding observations by SEA countries.

Impact:
By leveraging UN human rights and sustainable engagement advocacy mechanisms to
supplement ongoing stakeholder sensitization and service provision programs, LGBTIQ civil
society can facilitate positive social and legal shifts in SEA countries towards the codification of
SOGIESC-related rights protections and the elimination of discriminatory laws, policies, and
social practices.

Contact:
Omair Paul, Senior Global Advocacy Officer - ILGA Asia: omair@ilgaasia.org
TH: +66 98 827 5546
Risk Assessment:
In person human rights training and capacity building workshops for LGBTIQ activists and
human rights defenders typically bear some risks associated with convening. While Thailand is
generally considered a safe and accepting country for LGBTIQ persons, communities, and
organizations, the State’s overall treatment of civil society with respect to expression,
assembly, and association is fraught. ILGA Asia will take every measure to mitigate all risks,
and a security assessment will be incorporated in the participant application form. The
following risks and mitigation efforts have been identified:

1. Interrogations or questioning when traveling to Thailand from the home county,

particularly regarding the purpose of visit.
a. Mitigation: ILGA Asia can frame the training as a retreat for members, and can
encourage participants not to mention human rights training at various
immigration checkpoints. ILGA Asia may indicate this on invitation letters if
needed.

2. Traveling while as a non-binary or gender diverse may present additional scrutiny by

airport or other officials.
a. Mitigation: While there is sadly no mitigation effort that could completely
address this risk, ILGA Asia can provide invitation letters that may reduce
scrutiny while going through immigration and customs.

3. Risk of surveillance or reprisals from home country national authorities for engagement
of human rights training, or if information about their attendance is leaked or shared.
a. Mitigation: All measures will be taken to ensure safe and private meeting rooms
at the venue for training participants and facilitators to openly speak and
express. ILGA Asia is exploring the use of a VPN package for participants for
secure internet connection.
b. Photography notice: aside from a voluntary group photo at the end of training,
ILGA Asia will not be taking photos over the course of the training. Participants
are requested to ask for permission to take photos of or with other participants.
We will provide participants who do not wish for their photos to be taken with a
mark they can use to indicate so.

4. Participants are encouraged to practice standard COVID-19 prevention

protocols—including maintaining social distance and wearing masks.
a. ILGA Asia will provide each participant with a take-at-home covid test.

Contact:
Omair Paul, Senior Global Advocacy Officer - ILGA Asia: omair@ilgaasia.org
TH: +66 98 827 5546
Annex:
Draft Program
Participant application form

Contact:
Omair Paul, Senior Global Advocacy Officer - ILGA Asia: omair@ilgaasia.org
TH: +66 98 827 5546