Tools and Strategies

2014, 12 pages

Norway is a staunch supporter of the rights of all human beings, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. Norway works to protect the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender – LGBT - persons in the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United Nations General Assembly and at country level.

This is a sensitive issue in many countries. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has therefore developed guidelines for the foreign missions’ work for LGBT persons. The guidelines are developed in collaboration with Norway’s foreign missions in Guatemala, Nepal, Kenya and Uganda.

June 2015, 99 pages

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has published this report examining scientific evidence on sexual practices. The report shows that human sexual behaviour is naturally varied, and should not form a basis for discrimination. It further presents substantial evidence that sexual diversity has always been a normal part of human society. 

The report concludes that tolerance of same-sex orientation benefits communities and positively affects public health, civil society and long-term economic growth.

The report could encourage policymakers, faith leaders and communities to learn about LGBTI people that live in their countries and help inform policies and lawmaking. Efforts should be focused on countering the stigmatisation that creates hostile and violent environments for those who are othered within heteronormative societies.

Drawing on the Yogyakarta Principles, the Practitioners’ Guide from 2009 has been written to provide judges, lawyers, and activists a detailed understanding of the legal foundations for the protection of people victimized on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  

The Practitioners’ Guide offers a comprehensive review of the principles of non-discrimination, equality, and privacy.  It then analyzes the scope and nature of the legal prohibition against some of the most severe violations – torture, deprivation of liberty, extrajudicial and arbitrary executions, and denial of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly.  

Through the Practitioners’ Guide, the hope is to increase awareness of human rights principles that protect people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as to encourage legal advocacy.

The guide can be downloaded in French, Spanish and Nepali from International Commission of Jurists.

2013, 117 pages

This report consists of 14 case studies of best practices for advancing human rights based on
sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Read impressing stories on work done in Romania, the Philippines, Chile, South Africa, India, Paraguay, the Netherlands, Japan, Norway, Suriname, USA, Burundi, Argentina and Nepal.

68 pages, February 2014

The last decade has seen an unprecedented rise in the levels of discrimination, harassment and violence directed towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in sub-Saharan Africa. This toolkit is designed for use by LGBTI activists, individuals and organizations in the sub-Saharan African context. It is intended to equip activists with some of the key concepts and tools around advocacy so that they can effectively persuade others that the human rights of LGBTI people are worth protecting.