Invitation to submit your views and news on SOGIESC issues
Just as a reminder: Everyone is welcome to submit information or thoughts on SOGIESC issues on this page and the related social media accounts. We welcome submissions of any kind.
Send your communications by email to: andreas.ziegler@unil.ch
Find it @ the source!   The Human Cost of the US Policies on LGBTQI Communities in Asia-Pacific: Regional Finding from the 2025 Funding Freeze APCOM has been working with our community, and launched the advocacy brief The Human Cost of the US Funding Freeze on LGBTQI Communities in Asia-Pacific.  Download The 2025 US government funding freeze, and the dismantling of USAID has triggered a far-reaching crisis for LGBTQI communities across the Asia-Pacific region. What began as an administrative and political decision with the US government Foreign Aid Freeze Executive Order on January 20, 2025, and the USAID Stop Work Orders issued on January 27, 2025, has rapidly evolved into a humanitarian, public health, and human rights emergency. “We call on donors to make an urgent, time-bound commitment of USD 8–12 million over the next 24 months to stabilize and strengthen LGBTQI-led community responses across the Asia–Pacific region.”Midnight, APCOM Executive Director  READ MORE You can access all stories here. APCOM contributed to the Global Reportled by Kaleidoscope Trust Impact Analysis of the USAID Freeze on LGBTI+ Organisations   The abrupt suspension of USAID funding in early 2025 has had devastating effects on LGBTI+ civil society organisations globally. While the broader impacts across global society are still being determined, among the 43 organisations surveyed by Kaleidoscope Trust (KT) in the immediate aftermath, 29 experienced direct impacts, resulting in approximately USD $8.67 million in losses. Financial damages ranged from minor to existential, with several organisations reporting income losses of over 50% and risking closure.  READ MORE You can access all stories here. APCOMpassion Fundraising Activities  APCOM launched a new round of fundraising under its APCOMpassion Emergency Fund in response to the urgent crisis facing LGBTQI+ communities across Asia and the Pacific following the US Administration’s decision to freeze foreign aid. We leaned into our community to help kickstart this effort. Leading LGBTQI+ party organisers in the region, known for creating safe and vibrant spaces for the community, are partnering with APCOM to raise emergency funds for those hit hardest by the funding freeze, and ongoing funding cuts. READ MORE   APCOM X RGB Pride Party APCOM X White Party BKK Check it out! Check it out! You can access all stories here. APCOM Community Summit 2026 Connecting Asia 2.0 Connecting Asia 2.0 will bring together communities and partners to expand PrEP access, explore responsible uses of AI and strengthen community-led programming across Asia and the Pacific.  APCOM Community Summit 2026: Connecting Asia 2.0, will take place on 11-13 November 2026 at Mövenpick Hotel Sukhumvit 15 Bangkok. The 8th APCOM Community Summit will bring together community leaders, policymakers, researchers, development partners and technology practitioners to advance practical innovations that improve health, expand prevention choices and uphold human rights. Interested to join the conference? Please send email to programmes@apcom.org for more information. AI Learning Needs Survey   How could artificial intelligence (AI) support your work and what would help you use it with greater confidence? APCOM is planning AI learning activities for community partners, including sessions at the upcoming APCOM Community Summit and a possible online training programme. We want these activities to reflect your everyday needs, whether that means drafting proposals, creating campaign content, working across languages, analysing information or understanding how to use AI safely and responsibly. We warmly invite you to complete our AI Learning Needs Survey and share your experiences, questions and learning priorities. Deadline: 25 September 2026 Take the Survey The 10th HERO Awards 2026 Stay Tuned!  Copyright © All rights reserved.Contact Us: APCOM Foundation 48 Soi Udomsuk 13, Bangna-nua, Bangna, Bangkok 10260,Thailand +66(0)2–399-1145 communications@apcom.org Help Us Grow and Fight Inequality: Be our donor. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can sign up update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list here   |
A tide of anti-gay laws and rhetoric is sweeping across regions, putting already stigmatised communities at greater risk. In an interview with Geneva Solutions, the Human Rights Council-backed LGBT rights expert, Graeme Reid, warns that the rise of authoritarian populists and the decline of democracy are creating a perfect storm.
On 2 July 2026, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered one decision and one judgment in two cases which, whilst resting on different facts, raised the same legal issue. The common thread between the two cases is that the children of two same-sex couples residing in the United Kingdom under a registered civil partnership were unable to obtain Polish identity documents, such as Polish passports, because their UK birth certificates were not transcribed by the Polish authorities.
In both cases, A.D.-K. and Others v. Poland and A.P. and R.P. v. Poland, the applicants – in each instance two women in a British civil partnership – tried to have their child’s British birth certificate, which listed the birth mother as “mother” and her partner as “parent,” registered in the Polish civil status registry. However, the Polish authorities refused, citing public policy reasons. The Supreme Administrative Court eventually ruled that including two women as parents on a birth certificate would violate the core principles of Polish law.
Full Article: https://voelkerrechtsblog.org/legal-vacuum-or-legal-uncertainty-in-strasbourg/
The 2027-32 strategy sets a common direction for ensuring that LGBTI people fully enjoy their human rights
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted the organisation’s first Strategy for equal rights for LGBTI people which provides a structured framework for implementing existing human-rights commitments to advance equality and prevent discrimination and violence.
UPCOMING EVENT     The United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR) requires UN member states to report approximately every four and a half years on their human rights progress and receive recommendations from other states for continued improvement. Join us on Monday, September 21, for a panel of international scholars and human rights defenders to discuss the progress and regressions that the U.S. and other countries have made on LGBTQI rights. These countries will be reviewed in November 2026 at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Register today!    |
RSVP Today: https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8y7_5DDiQjWt7u410PvL-g#/registration
Outright International is currently seeking a Senior Program Manager for a new, multi-year programme supporting LGBTIQ+ rights, spanning several of our core programmatic regions. The role will lead partner grantmaking, capacity strengthening, and international advocacy work in close collaboration with in-country civil society partners.
For more information, please see the posting here. (https://outrightinternational.bamboohr.com/careers/84)
Poland has started legally recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other EU countries. This follows a chain of rulings: the EU’s top court said in late 2025 that Poland must recognize such marriages, Poland’s own top administrative court agreed in March 2026, and registry offices began applying this in practice on 22 August 2026. This happened even though Poland’s president vetoed related bills in July and the country’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled against recognition days later.
