ILGA Asia Annual Report 2019
ILGA Asia is pleased to present our Annual Report covering activities from 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2019.
Executive Summary
ILGA Asia stepped into the final year to implement its Strategic Plan in 2019, to fulfill all the commitments made to memberships prior to 2017 and reach all the expected targets. The five strategic objectives have been accomplished through organizing a series of meetings, training sessions, conference, media campaigns and communication initiatives in collaboration with LGBTI civil society in the region and around the world, other human rights organizations and allies. Our cross-cutting collaboration was also in line with the spirit of the 8th ILGA Asia Conference - our largest event of the year and the largest conference ILGA Asia had organized: Building Alliances to Strengthen the Movement, emphasizing the importance of reaching out to other social movements and sectors in promoting gender and sexual diversity and achieving social changes. Not only the number and the scale of activities were increasing, they were done with a clearer purpose in mind, and with a result-oriented approach. This Annual Report focuses on the five objectives in ILGA Asia’s Strategic Plan.
Recognizing the importance of working with international human rights instruments at the United Nations in the absence of pan-Asian mechanisms in the region, ILGA Asia continued to support LGBTI human rights defenders to strengthen their international advocacy at the UN. Apart from various workshops on using UN mechanisms, ranging from 1 day to 1 week, ILGA Asia created opportunities for LGBTI activists to meet with the Independent Expert on SOGI, the first time for many of them, to understand more about his mandate and how they can work with the mandate to protect and promote the human rights of LGBTI community in their respective country.
Engagement with parents of LGBTI people and religious leaders, those identified as key social influencers in Asian societies, was sustained through workshops on “coming out stories of parents of LGBTI people,” “strategies in the face of increasing fundamentalism and conservative influence,” and “experiences, needs and questions around queer Muslim movement building in Asia.” These workshops were highly appreciated by participants, with the one on “coming out stories” being ILGA Asia’s most favorite workshop in 2019.
ILGA Asia coordinated the flow of information regarding LGBTI issues in the region through the use of newsletters and social media channels, notably Facebook. The monthly Rainbow News was by far the only of its kind to compile LGBTI news in Asia, being anticipated by many activists not only within the region, but also those around the world who want to learn more about Asia.
The Executive Board of ILGA Asia met twice in 2019, one in August, prior to the ILGA Asia Conference, and once in November, after the new board was elected. Various policies at ILGA Asia were being reviewed and newly developed, including the policy on sexual harassment, equal opportunities, represenation of ILGA Asia at events, and greening policy. At the same time, capacity of the staff and board members were strengthened through a joint workshop on governance co-organized with Pan Africa ILGA, the first time the two regions of ILGA collaborating with each other. Number of staff members in the office was increased to a total of 3 persons.
Finally, ILGA Asia promoted regional solidarity and collaboration among LGBTI communities and with allies from other social movements through organizing the 8th ILGA Asia Conference and the Asian Caucus as a part of the ILGA World Conference. These events were not only important for member organizations to raise their voice and concerns, to influence regional strategies and priorities, but also for the wider LGBTI community in Asia to learn about the most current issues. Participation from ILGA Asia memberships had never been so active. Also in 2019, for the first time, member organizations were presented with ILGA Asia’s audited financial statement with the opening of new bank accounts in 2018. The conference adopted its own Standing Orders to be used in place of the current ILGA World Standing Orders.
