IDLO has worked with national human rights bodies in Asia to reduce discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity. The programe was carried out in collaboration with advocates from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs).
In a many Asian jurisdictions, cultural taboos are often exacerbated by punitive and discriminatory legal frameworks, criminalization of same-sex relations and repressive law enforcement practices. Under the project, NHRIs in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste were invited to consider how LGBTI rights fit within their mandates and to share their achievements in promoting and protecting LGBTI rights. The NHRIs shared their conclusions in a series of IDLO-supported dialogues with LGBTI communities. The program fostered – and documented – growing awareness and embracing of LGBTI concerns in the region.
