On 17-18 December, PGA brought a parliamentary delegation to the Equal Rights Coalition Conference, in Berlin (Germany). The delegation was composed of Members of Parliament from Botswana, Colombia, the Gambia, Liberia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Seychelles, and Uganda.
The Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) is an intergovernmental body of 45 Member States dedicated to the protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons. Member States actively engage in thematic groups and work with civil society organizations to advance equality and inclusion. From 2022 to 2024, the ERC was co-chaired by Germany and Mexico. From 1 January 2025, Colombia and Spain will share the co-presidency of the Coalition.
On the first day of the conference, PGA organized a panel on “The role of legislators in advancing LGBTQI+ rights, spotlight on Africa”, in partnership with the Equal Rights Coalition Secretariat and the Global Equality Caucus. PGA Board Member Hon. Bernard Georges, MP (Seychelles), Leader of Government Business, moderated the panel.
Legislators from Sub-Saharan Africa had a unique opportunity to share their insights on the situation of marginalized populations in their country, especially LGBTQI+ persons. Some of the panelists spoke of links between gender equality, inclusion and democracy, which was the case of the distinguished representative of the Gambia and PGA Member Hon. Moima Briggs Mensah, MP (Liberia), Chair of the Committee on Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
Another prominent PGA Board member in attendance, Hon. Fox Odoi (Uganda), Chair of the Human Rights Committee, gave an overview of the devastating consequences of the Anti-Homosexuality Act on the lives of LGBTQI+ persons and individuals who support them. While the legal challenges to the Act continue, it has restricted the ability of civil society organizations (CSOs) to carry-out their mandates and fueled anti-LGBTQI+ sentiment. There has been an increase in online attacks and hate speech against LGBTQI+ persons furthering discriminatory practices.
On 18 December, in a panel dedicated to The Role of Courts in Advancing LGBTQI+ Rights and the Role of Strategic Litigation, PGA Member Hon. Unity Dow, MP (Botswana), shared her experience as a former judge, a lawyer, a legislator and human rights defender. One of the main points is that there are no one strategy fits all. Strategic litigation should take into account its impact on the affected communities.
PGA Board Member Sen. Boris Dittrich led our delegation to the German Bundestag for a meeting with Dr. Daniela De Ridder, MP (Germany), Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, to discuss democracy, human rights, inclusion and gender equality. During exchanges between MPs from Africa, Latin America, and Europe, common threads appeared especially around accountability for hate speech, social media and artificial intelligence regulation, attacks on LGBTQI+ persons and women in politics, and climate justice. MPs recommended ensuring safe spaces for peer-to-peer information-sharing across regions on how to effectively tackle these issues, such as the ones PGA enables.
The evening program, hosted by Jan Plobner, MP (Germany), offered an informal setting to continue the conversation with other German MPs.
