On 28-29 November 2023, Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and the United Nations Development Program’s Inclusive Governance Initiative (UNDP-IGI) co-organized the third African Parliamentary Forum on Gender and Sexual Minorities in Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-four parliamentarians from eleven sub-Saharan African countries - Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe - participated in this Forum. Civil society representatives from Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Spain, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe also participated in the event.
The parliamentary convening provided a safe space for legislators to have an open and respectful peer-to-peer dialogue on the situation of LGBTQI+ persons in their countries, given the anti-rights and anti-gender trends on the continent. Such dialogue, enriched by expert interventions from civil society representatives from the region, enhanced the knowledge of legislators on these issues. It also provided an opportunity to explore challenges and opportunities to support at-risk minorities which will inform the tailored and context-specific follow-up with each country.
Specific objectives of the Forum included:
- Improving knowledge and understanding among parliamentarians about their role in guaranteeing equality and inclusion of LGBTQI+ people in their countries.
- Fostering collaboration and facilitating meaningful interactions among parliamentarians and LGBTI+ civil society representatives.
- Strengthening the network of parliamentarians advancing the human rights and inclusion of LGBTI+ people worldwide and equipping them with a concrete tool to assist them in their legislative prerogatives.
- Amplifying positive stories and testimonies about progress in promoting LGBTI-affirming legislation, and the repeal of criminalizing laws on consensual same-sex conduct and/or diverse gender expression and identity, to inspire parliamentarians take concrete actions in their country.
- Providing a platform to exchange best practices and strategies to overcome challenges as well as to build support for gender and sexual diversity and unified messages.
- Informing PGA in the design and content for a SOGI Handbook that reflects the African context.
PGA/UNDP’s updated 2022 publication: “Advancing the Human Rights and Inclusion of LGBTI People: a Handbook for Parliamentarians” has provided parliamentarians around the world with practical tools to advance the human rights and inclusion of LGBTQI+ persons. Parliamentarians who participated at the 2023 African Parliamentary Forum were empowered by the tools and examples of actions taken by their peers around the world included in the Handbook, which will be adapted to the African context with country-specific recommendations.
In many African countries, discriminatory legal and policy frameworks as well as socio-cultural norms continue marginalizing LGBTQI+ communities. There are regional and international standards in place to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. Although countries are States parties to fundamental human rights instruments, the main issue remains their implementation at the domestic level. Discrimination against LGBTQI+ communities has far reaching consequences on numerous sectors, including education, health care, employment, and housing.
PGA will continue empowering its members to use their parliamentary prerogatives to build safe, peaceful, prosperous and inclusive societies, where the human rights of all individuals are respected fully.
The challenges facing LGBTI people around the world – and their allies working to promote respect for their human rights and inclusion – remain formidable. This Handbook sets out practical advice as to how you, as an MP, can:Publication
Handbook: Advancing the Human Rights and Inclusion of LGBTI People
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