RIE 611 - GOVERNANCE, GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

LGBT+, GENDER &

DEVELOPMENT

* PHOTO CREDIT FROM U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CHALLENGES FACING LGBT PERSONS WORLDWIDE

 Violence and Hate Speech Against LGBT Individuals

- homophobic and transphobic violence has been recorded in every region of the
world
- Violence against this group tends to be especially vicious compared to other
bias motivated crimes
- LGBT persons have also suffered violent attacks in response to peaceful
advocacy campaigns and demonstrations.
CHALLENGES FACING LGBT PERSONS WORLDWIDE

 Lack of Participation in Civil Society and Democratic Processes

- Limited public officials in office that openly self-identify as LGBT
- Addressing obstacles for successful representation and public sector support for LGBT
equality remains critical because the presence of even a small number of openly gay
legislators has been associated with the development of more “just” policy
prescriptions for society at large, and their presence may have a transformative effect
on the views and voting behavior of their non LGBT colleagues.
- number of CSOs working on the human rights and well being of LGBT persons
remains relatively small and many of these struggle financially.
CHALLENGES FACING LGBT PERSONS WORLDWIDE

 Obstacles to Accessing Health Care

- LGBT persons who seek health care services of any kind encounter rejection,
humiliation, derision, or, at best, sub standard services, leading in some cases to
pronounced health deficits among LGBT populations
- HIV/AIDS health care trends distinctively illustrate the pervasive impacts of
stigma and discrimination against the LGBT community.
- Gay men, other MSM and transgender persons who are living with HIV often lack
access to HIV education or fear entering the health care system for services, such
as antiretroviral therapy, thereby impeding or delaying access to life saving
prevention, care and treatment services.
CHALLENGES FACING LGBT PERSONS WORLDWIDE

 Impact of Discrimination on Livelihoods

- LGBT youth are at increased risk for being abandoned by their families and rejected,
barred, or deterred from accessing schools, all of which undermine their ability to
learn and develop the skills that are necessary for a productive life as an adult
- The livelihoods of LGBT persons are further impacted by discriminatory employment
practices, which render them vulnerable to poverty and predispose them to risky and
illegal occupations
CORE PRINCIPLES IN PROMOTING AND PROTECTION THE
HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBT PERSONS

• ACCOUNT FOR COUNTRY AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

- USAID will engage a wide array of stakeholders to map and analyze country
conditions and cultural context and will seek windows of opportunity to support local
leaders and organizations that can be agents for cultural and legal progress.
CORE PRINCIPLES IN PROMOTING AND PROTECTION THE
HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBT PERSONS

• ENSURE OPENNESS AND SAFE SPACE FOR DIALOGUE

- USAID will support an agency culture that creates a safe space for difficult
conversations about beliefs, values, and personal biases.
CORE PRINCIPLES IN PROMOTING AND PROTECTION THE
HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBT PERSONS

• INTEGRATE LGBT ISSUES INTO USAID’s WORK

- Increasing the integration of LGBT issues into USAID’s organizational processes,
policies, and programming to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable development
outcomes.
CORE PRINCIPLES IN PROMOTING AND PROTECTION THE
HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBT PERSONS

• SUPPORT AND MOBILIZE LGBT COMMUNITIES

- The agency will support and empower local LGBT CSOs
- inclusion of LGBT persons in the development process.
- Active involvement in and ownership of development activities
CORE PRINCIPLES IN PROMOTING AND PROTECTION THE
HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBT PERSONS

• BUILD PARTNERSHIPS AND CREATE ALLIES AND CHAMPIONS

- USAID will build partnerships with entities such as host governments, human
rights defenders, philanthropic foundations, bilateral and multi lateral donor agencies,
private sector companies, and influential community and religious leaders
- Support the widening and deepening of its networks
PROMISING APPROACHES TO MORE LGBT INCLUSIVE
DEVELOPMENT WORK

 Building Attention to LGBT Issues into Operational Policies

and Procedures
- USAID policies, guidance, and strategies are inclusive of LGBT concerns
- An innovative approach to operationalizing LGBT integration has been taken by
USAID field missions
PROMISING APPROACHES TO MORE LGBT INCLUSIVE
DEVELOPMENT WORK

 Building on Ground breaking Sectoral Programming

Examples
1. HIV/AIDS programming

2. Democracy, Rights and Governance sector

PROMISING APPROACHES TO MORE LGBT INCLUSIVE
DEVELOPMENT WORK

 Support for Research and Learning

- USAID is committed to utilizing a variety of tools and methods to better
understand the lives and needs of LGBT persons across the globe , using this
information to design more inclusive programming, and developing a learning agenda
around LGBT issues that institutionalizes the lessons learned from our work in this
sector, including the numerous lessons that have been documented in project reports
and other program documents.
USAID PRIORITIES AS WE MOVE FORWARD

 The Agency currently has in place an Agency Coordinating Committee (ACC), led
by the Agency’s Senior LGBT Coordinator along with its members from bureaus and
operating units across the Agency, as well as a network of over 300 LGBT points of contacts
(PoCs) will serve as the foundation for realizing the Vision and coordinating
follow on activities across the Agency and with other USG entities
USAID PRIORITIES AS WE MOVE FORWARD

1. Increasing Capacity for Inclusive Development at USAID by

Developing Training and Other Tools and Resources
- USAID is committed to the development of a suite of new and innovative
training opportunities
USAID PRIORITIES AS WE MOVE FORWARD

2. Selectivity and Focus in Integration Efforts

- Prioritize sectors where action is urgently needed and where the Agency has
the deepest level of prior experience, in particular, the health and DRG
sectors
USAID PRIORITIES AS WE MOVE FORWARD

3. Building Capacity of Local Organizations and Leaders

- Strategic and directed Agency’s support on the provision of accessible, practical
tools and resources to ensure that LGBT persons will have a capable
organizations that can advocate and provide their needs.
USAID PRIORITIES AS WE MOVE FORWARD

4. Accountability for Non Discrimination

- Protecting individuals against discrimination based on socio demographic
characteristics including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
and disability status, among others, in our own workplace.
- Development and enforcement of comprehensive non discrimination policies
that address protection for all employees, including on the basis of sexual
orientation and gender identity, subject to applicable law.
USAID PRIORITIES AS WE MOVE FORWARD

5. Learning Agenda
- Accelerating the progress in addressing the key needs of the LGBT community
through closing information gaps; by supporting research, testing new, and
innovative ideas; by subjecting the Agency’s existing programs to rigorous
evaluation